Saudade
by Thunderbyrd
Summary: Longing to be back in Gravity Falls with the ones he holds dear, Dipper's attempt to return back to his "proper home" is put into fruition. Unfortunately, he overlooked one certain obstacle in his path: his overbearing twin sister.
1. Prologue: The Longing

**So, this is gonna be relatively new territory for me…**

 **When making my account on this site, I only saw myself as making simple, fluffy stories, with characters just having a jolly good time with each other. It's not because I hate drama-related stories in any way, it's only because I feel like I wouldn't write a good drama story myself, handling conflict and making sure it isn't forced and/or rushed; that's why we got writers like SuperGroverAway to handle conflict like this better than I can, but hey, don't know until we try, right?**

 **Anyways, this idea was inspired by a guest reviewer who suggested on my "Sleepy Sensories" about a story involving a depressed Dipper wanting to go back to the Falls to be back with Wendy and such. Personally, I think it's a very interesting concept, and I wanted to see what I could do. At first, this was planned as a one-shot, but I figured to extend it into a semi-short multi-chapter story, as to not leave anything out. Right now, we're starting things off with a semi-short (though admittedly overly-expositioned) prologue to kick things off!**

 **To that same guest reviewer reading this, I hope this story does suit to your needs and I apologize if this took a long while to make! To everyone else, here's hoping you enjoy my first drama-related story "Saudade"!**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun.)**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **PROLOGUE: THE LONGING**

Dipper always hated the weather back in Piedmont.

Three weeks ago, the Pines twins had returned to their hometown after their rather eventful summer, and ever since their arrival, the weather seemed somewhat gloomy non-stop. One day would have low-hanging clouds with the chilly, northern winds blowing through the sky, another day would have an all-day rain shower with the air being all humid and musky. Not one speck of sunlight had shone through the clouds as of yet.

It was enough to make Dipper feel both annoyed and gross. Wasn't California weather supposed to be sunny and nice?

Then again, he was never really used to Piedmont in general before he and Mabel had ventured to the Falls...

In Piedmont, he felt like a nobody. Another cog in the works, going to a middle school with other students that hardly even notice him, whether in the halls or in class. Sure, the school teachers admired Dipper for his high marks and attentiveness, but those features basically screamed "Grade-A bully material" to the other kids. But back in Gravity Falls however, he actually felt like he mattered there. He was carefree and adventurous. He was never afraid to show his emotions or interests to others, in spite of his timidity and awkwardness.

There, he had friends and family that loved and enjoyed being with him and Mabel. People he could speak with freely and co-mingle with in non-judgment fashion, such as allies like Grunkles Stan and Ford, Soos, Melody, Old Man McGucket, Pacifica, Deputies Durland and Blubs, Grenda, Candy, Tambry, Lee, Nate, Thompson…

Wendy…

He missed everyone's quirky, folksy, and well-meaning personalities, where even during the most hardest of times (notably including when Bill Cipher unleashed Weirdmageddon upon the sleepy town), the town still kept a close-knit bond with each other. He even missed certain residents of the Falls that he used to have bad blood with, like Gideon and even Robbie!

Granted however, almost every day in the Falls saw him getting chased, scared, and even forced into battle when coming across any one of Gravity Falls' numerous mystical beings, be it sentient lawn gnomes, zombies, Summerween monsters, shapeshifters, and even the unholy grand-daddy of all chaos himself, Bill Cipher.

But even then, Dipper felt more braver and more sure of himself during that one summer than he ever felt in his whole lifetime. Back in Piedmont, he couldn't even look at another kid in the eye without being berated at by another one of his so-called "peers". All he knew about these kids were that they were snobs and jocks, with haughty personalities so cliched and one-dimensional that it was almost laughable, almost as if these kids came straight from some dumb teen sitcom!

Regardless, that didn't mean that their mean-spirited remarks towards him still didn't hurt...

There doesn't go a day without one of the kids mocking him regarding his personality. His love for learning about the supernatural, his birthmark, his shyness and awkward behavior, his skinny limbs and lack of strength, or his inability to get a girlfriend, amongst many other "freakish quirks" that the kids laugh at him for.

Plus, in comparison to the Falls, Dipper saw Piedmont as bland and not as interesting. Sure, he still loved learning and studying his usual school subjects, but after discovering the supernatural wonders that the Falls had to offer, his thirst for adventure and mystery only spiked up more since he arrived back home.

With him being stuck back in Piedmont, several miles away from the place he would happily call home before his own, Dipper Pines was deeply yearning to go back to Gravity Falls, no matter what the cost, even if it's to visit for one whole day...

Every day during classes and every night in bed, he'd dream to himself and him and Mabel returning back to Gravity Falls and doing such activities as hanging out with their friends and discovering new and rare creatures. Basically, they'd getting into more fun and memorable misadventures just like the summer before.

But alas, here he was, stuck in his drab and glum hometown for the rest of the fall, winter, and spring...

Even then, as much as he wanted to leave this humdrum lifestyle of being a nobody in Piedmont, he couldn't just exactly leave Mabel behind neither.

Dipper loved his twin sister to death, even during times when both their personalities clash hard enough to warrant a fight between them. True, Mabel can be overbearing, hyper, and rather stubborn at most times, but she was still a sweet-hearted and helpful girl at heart, always brimming with love and positivity wherever she goes.

He hadn't the heart to tell her his feelings about wanting to go back to the Falls, only because he figured that she would tell him something like to "move on" or to "stop being a baby" about it.

He also felt that telling their parents about how he was feeling wouldn't work out as well. Not because they were strict or passive parents in any way, but Dipper still felt they wouldn't really understand his feelings. Their dad worked in an office for a law firm, along with their mom who also worked there as a lawyer, both all-day jobs where they usually come home around 5:00-ish in time for dinner.

They both led busy lives at work, on top of taking time to take care of him and Mabel, and Dipper didn't want to put any more pressure on them. It was bad enough explaining why they brought home a live pig to live with them now, so telling his parents his desire to go back to the Falls so soon would prove to be fruitless at best.

He didn't want to be more of a burden than he already thinks he is...

Despite all these feelings coursing through his mind and as much as he wanted to go back to the Falls, Dipper felt it best to just try and keep his thoughts and feelings to himself and just get on with his life as normal. It'll be a lengthy and tiresome trek until next June comes by, but for the sake of making his parents and sister happy, he'll just have to repress his yearning thoughts for the time being.

For now, he would just have to grin and bear it...for until next summer could arrive…

...Unfortunately, that there is a prime example of "easier said than done"...

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **With all that exposition now outta the way, next chapter will feature some events that will lead to Dipper's ultimate decision: stay and be a nobody in Piedmont or return back to the Falls to actually be somebody. Major apologies if this took longer to upload than my usual schedule, but I wanted to make sure that this comes out at least better than my other multi-chapter fics…**

 **Until then, I'll post on my profile when the next chapter will be! Feedback is greatly appreciated and thanks for reading! :D**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	2. Chapter 1: The Daily Grind

**Good morning, everybody!**

 **First off, a big thanks to the lovely people who gave out feedback for this story as of right now…**

 **-New Yorktown for favoriting and following the story and for the kind review**

 **-emyy250 for both favoriting and following the story**

 **-And to the guest reviewer back in "Sleepy Sensories" (whom inspired this idea) for the sweet-hearted review! (Again, sorry if this took a while to make, tho! Just wanted to make sure this didn't feel rushed!)**

 **In the end, thanks for the friendly feedback and I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! From what I heard, a premise like this isn't thrown around that often in the Gravity Falls fanfiction tab, which genuinely shocks me, given the literals thousands of fics put into this tab, but hey, I ain't complaining! ;)**

 **Anyways, this chapter will finally get things cookin' as we see Dipper's school life, with what he deals with on a daily basis there, which will soon lead up to whether or not he'll go through with his plan to go back to the Falls or not, so let's check it out in Chapter One: The Daily Grind!**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun).**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **CHAPTER ONE: THE DAILY GRIND**

It was Tuesday morning as Mr. and Mrs. Pines drove down the way to drop off their kids to school. They passed through other local neighborhoods and small sections of the downtown area in their sedan, with the twins taking in the familiar sights of their hometown. As usual, the sky was covered in grayish clouds, with the forecast mentioning of possible rain later in the day.

Naturally, this news didn't surprise Dipper in the slightest.

To him, seeing these same old buildings and landmarks that Piedmont offered just didn't interest him anymore, not after seeing the rustic and woodsy locations back in the Falls.

He hadn't time to dwell on that before the sound of his dad's voice brought him back to reality.

"Just to let you know, kids, your mother and I are going be working an hour or two later than usual tonight. We're both still working hard on the Renzetti case and we need to get it done before tomorrow so we'll trust you both to make it home safely. Understand?" asked Mr. Pines from behind the wheel.

"Gotcha, Dad!" confirmed Mabel, giving him a cheery A-OK symbol with her hand. However, Dipper didn't seem as enthusiastic as his sister, but he still didn't want to upset or disobey his parents with his odd silence.

"Yes, sir…" he simply stated, trying to hide his glum tone as best as he could.

Mr. Pines grinned and nodded in confirmation. "Good!" he stated, "We'll both bring back take-out for dinner after our jobs tonight, alright?" he offered kindly.

Thankfully to the male Pines twin, the others seemed oblivious to Dipper's sad demeanor, and all that was left was a calm silence as the sedan was slowly nearing the school grounds. However, unbeknownst to Dipper, Mrs. Pines looked back at his son through the rear view mirror and looked at him worriedly.

Normally, Dipper may not be as hyperactive and overly-cheery than his significant twin, but even he can find reasons to smile once and a while. She even seemed to noticed Dipper's behavior ever since he came back from Gravity Falls. He was more quiet and more demure than usual.

She wanted to ask her son if he was alright, but she didn't get the chance to as Piedmont Middle School drew nearer and nearer along the way.

Soon enough, they arrived at the school's drop-zone for the commuting kids to be dropped off for class. Mabel jumped out of the car with vigor and ran towards the school entrance, her glittery bookbag in hand.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! See ya later!" she cheered, waving goodbye to her parentals, whom waved back.

"See you later, honey!" called Mr. Pines from the driver's seat, "Son, you better catch up to your sister before the bell rings!" he advised with a smile. Dipper followed suit afterwards as he got out of the car, albeit at a more slower pace than her hyper sister. Looking towards the middle school entrance, he sighed softly and gripped his hat…

...well, technically _Wendy's_ hat, but still, he was ready for another school day.

He waved goodbye to his folks without a word and followed Mabel into the school. Mrs. Pines looked back at her son with confused and motherly eyes. She watched Dipper slowly shamble away to class, trailing behind his gleeful, skipping sister.

She kept watching him even as Mr. Pines pulled away from the curb to now drive down the law firm with his wife. Mrs. Pines looked towards her husband and sighed.

"Dearie? Do you feel that something is up with Dipper lately?" she asked softly. Mr. Pines looked at her in mild confusion.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" he asked back.

"Well, he just seems less...you know, talkative since he and Mabel returned from Oregon. He doesn't seem as happy as he used to be, is all…" she replied. Mr. Pines only chuckled softly in reply.

"Heh-heh. He's probably just feeling blue because of the weather is all. The forecast did mention about possible sunlight over the weekend though, so maybe that might cheer him up a bit." he confirmed positively. Mrs. Pines, however, wasn't that convinced.

"Jason, sweetie, I doubt it's the weather that's gotten our son so down…" she paused to part her long, brown hair away from her face. Then, in a more somber voice, she spoke again.

"I feel like he left behind his happiness back in Gravity Falls…"

Mr. Pines looked back over to his wife with soft eyes. If there was one thing that Mrs. Pines was known to be, it was being persistent and caring to her offspring. In spite of their busy, taxing, but high-paying jobs, they still wished to spend more time with their kids, to make them feel loved and appreciated. Sure, there can be times when they'd have to be stern and serious whenever the problem that their kids have landed into calls for it, but still, they only did it to protect their children and to help them learn from their mistakes.

Regardless, Jason Pines wanting to keep a positive outlook out of all this. As they stopped the car at a red light, he placed a loving hand on his wife's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Kristen, Dipper is a resourceful and innovative young man with a big brain. I'm sure if he's feeling upset, he can talk to us if he's ready to. However, if you'd like, we can talk to him during dinner to see if anything is wrong, if it helps…" he said softly, giving her shoulder a loving squeeze.

After some minutes of deep thought, Kristen Pines decided that idea might be at least worth a try, so she gave her husband a thankful nod. Jason nodded back in confirmation before the street light turned green and they headed straight downtown for work.

* * *

By now, back at Piedmont Middle School, Dipper and Mabel had parted ways to attend to their own classes for the day. Dipper spent his morning and early afternoon in remedial classes, consisting of geometry, trigonometry, and earth science. Mabel, in contrast, had more fun classes than he did, like art appreciation, music, and English.

It was a pretty mellow day for Dipper in particular. Nobody seemed to give him any trouble today, which gave him plenty of relief, so he figured that keeping his head down might help him ease his troubles.

Soon enough, the lunch hour rolled in and the school cafeteria was flooded with students and faculty. Dipper had just managed to pick up his food from the lunch line...although the food itself was left to be desired.

The square-cut pizza looked half-frozen and tasteless, the salisbury steak was thin and was stewing in a puddle of gross-looking gravy, and his side of mashed potatoes were greasy and looked like something a bird would regurgitate. Dipper may not recall Gravity Falls having Class-A restaurants or the like, but even the food there was more appetizing than his school's food.

Heck, eating at Lazy Susan's diner sounded heavenly right about now...

His food in-hand, Dipper scoured around the lunchroom to find a table to sit at. Unfortunately, nothing seemed available. After five minutes of walking around, he managed to find an open spot at one end of a long table, with only a couple of kids sitting on the other side. Dipper soon sat down and quietly began to gnaw his way through his food.

Two other boys sat close by to Dipper, one with curly red hair and wearing a green sports jersey and brown pants, and a blonde one with glasses, a red sports jacket, and blue shorts. They both looked at Dipper's sudden presence with confused and somewhat-worried eyes.

"Uhh, kid. I wouldn't sit there if I was you…" said the redhead in a sort of warning tone. Dipper sighed inwardly. Naturally, no one would let him sit with them at lunchtime, so this wasn't any surprise to Dipper.

"L-Look, all I am doing is eating lunch is all. Once I'm all done, I'll leave you guys alone, I p-promise…" stammered Dipper, trying not to start anything. The two boys looked at each other with unsure glances.

"That's not what we're meanin' by…" the blonde stated carefully, "You can't sit there because that's someone else's seat…"

Dipper gulped down his pizza and looked at them with frightened eyes. "W-Why? W-Who sits here?"

* **BANG!** *

"I do, you little ruffian!" came a sharp, haughty, and harsh voice.

Dipper nearly choked on his food upon the sudden appearance of this student, his snobbish voice sounding very recognizable to the Pines twin. He looked up from his food tray to see this student.

A Caucasian-American with well-coiffed orange hair, a deep purple jacket, black dress pants with matching dress shoes, and an attitude as snobby and high-society as it gets. Dipper gulped again and tried to make peace with him to spare him from causing a scene.

"H-H-Hey, Edward! H-How's it hanging?" he replied, trying to be as friendly as he could be, in spite of his frightened, rapidly-beating heart.

The boy rolled his eyes and scoffed snootily. "That's Edward Viscount III to you, Dipstick!" he snapped right back.

Edward was one of the more upper-class students who attended Piedmont Middle School. He lived in a small gated community residing outside of town, where he was the son (and future heir) to a wealthy tuxedo shop owner. He originally used to go to a boarding school located in Danville, but since his father expanded one of his stores to Piedmont, the Viscounts moved to said city and placed Edward in a regular middle school this time, in hopes for him to be more sociable.

Edward, however, revelled at the thought of being at a school full of "commoners and vagrants" as he puts them, but still, teasing and mocking the other "poorer" kids did make the young snob feel better about himself, and unfortunately, Dipper was no stranger to his bullying methods.

"Now, would you mind telling me why you are sitting in _my_ seat, Pines!?" he ventured, looming above Dipper like a vengeful god. Dipper's beady eyes darted back and forth, in hopes to come up with a valid excuse.

"I-I-I was just e-eating my lunch, t-that's all…" he tried to say through his stuttering. Edward hardened his stare at him.

"You do realize that this seat is reserved for me and me only, don't you, Pines…?" he stated, leaning closer to Dipper's sweating face.

Dipper's reply was a string of incomprehensible stutters and stammers. He shuddered in his seat out of fear. Edward could only sigh at this display with pity.

"Ohh, such petty incompetence. Spending your whole summer at that dirty, redneck-infested Oregon town really made you lose touch with reality, Pines." Edward mused unsympathetically, "While you were busy canoodling around, looking for boring old rocks and foliage and other bits of garbage, more respected students like me have spent their summer doing more interesting things with their lives…"

The blonde boy at the table couldn't help but to smirk softly.

"You mean like having your mom force you to go to that boring summer math camp upstate?" reminded the blonde cheekily, prompting a chuckle from his redhead friend. A quick, but firm and hard glare from Edward was enough to shut them both up.

"Well, be that as it may, young boy, I feel that it is best you make haste and frequent to another table. A commoner like you should belong with your own kind; the _poor_ kind that is!" Edward sneered loftily, gesturing to Dipper to skadaddle post haste.

Deciding to not to start anything with the spoiled teen, Dipper simply took in a deep breath, picked himself up, snagged his food tray, and went off to find another seat, much to Edward's smug satisfaction. However, just as Dipper began to walk away, he decided to egg him a bit longer.

Noticing that Dipper had accidentally left behind his milk carton. Edward picked it up, looked back up towards Dipper, and smirked deviously.

"Oh, yoo-hoo, Dipstick!? Don't forget your milk!" he called in a sing-songy voice.

And not even waiting for Dipper to turn around, he flung the carton of milk straight at him, as it bounced against the back of his head. Thankfully, it didn't explode upon impact, but Dipper decided it best to shrug it off and just move away. Edward scoffed again as Dipper walked away.

"Hmph, such an imbecile...probably should have stayed at that deadbeat hick town where he belongs…him _and_ his annoying sibling…" he grumbled, loud enough for Dipper to manage to get an earful of his sentence.

The redhead and blonde duo looked at Edward with unsure expressions. "Edward, was all that really necessary?" asked the redhead.

"Yeah, I mean, all he wanted was a place to sit!" countered the blonde. Edward scoffed.

"The way I see it, gents, is that Pines is nothing but a lower-middle-class sheep in my eyes. A person of his background should learn to respect their higher-ups, no matter the reason!" proclaimed Edward as he sat down in his own seat.

"But he didn't do anything wrong!" exclaimed the redhead.

"Maybe not, but like my grandfather once told me, is that 'poor people amount to pennies, while the rich amount to platinum'. That's how he saw people back in his time and that's how I'll see it today!" finished Edward, taking a bite from his sandwich with a smug smile.

The two boys grumbled softly at Edward's stubbornness and decided to just give up and finish their lunches without another word.

* * *

Dipper huffed in mild annoyance as he continued his trek to find a seat without another word, irritated by Edward's chauvinistic persona.

' _Spoiled, silver spoon-sucking jerk…_ ' he thought to himself grouchily.

Soon enough, he came across another table at the other end of the cafeteria, and much to Dipper's relief, he saw a familiar face sitting there!

"Dipper! Dipper!" squeaked Mabel happily, waving him over, "Over here!"

Dipper cracked a small, shy smile and happily agreed to her offer. He ran over, quickly sat down next to his sister, and proceeded to finish his lunch alongside his one true school friend. Mabel chuckled softly.

"Geez, bro-bro, where've you been? Lunch is nearly over, Dip!" she explained with a friendly, teasing smile. Dipper chuckled nervously in return.

"Heh-heh...oh, you know, just...w-walkin' around is all…" he quipped (or at least _tried_ to), as nonchalantly as he could. Mabel, however, knew that Dipper's quiet nature was meaning that something must be up.

"Edward pickin' on ya again?" she asked curiously, her tone sounding more serious than usual. Dipper swallowed thickly and put down his fork, letting out a defeated sigh.

"Y-Yeah…he was..." he admitted unhappily, looking down at his food. Mabel, detecting his sadness, placed a sisterly arm around his shoulder and gave him a soft smile.

"Aw, Dip...don't let that stuffy-shirted dummy get to your head! He's just bein' a big ol' butt as usual!" she said good-naturedly, chuckling at her little jokes in hopes to cheer up Dipper, which sort of succeeded as Dipper did crack a small, thankful smile at her.

"I suppose…" replied Dipper softly, "I just don't know what that guy's deal is...I swear that guy's even more worse than Pacifica ever was!"

"Ah well, you know," chortled Mabel, trying to wave off Dipper's negativity, "Some people can't help being snobs at times!" Dipper, however, turned towards her and gave her a funny look.

"'At times'? Mabes, ever since this guy moved in from that Athenian place in Danville, Edward's been a total royal blowhard day in and day out! H-H-He's narcissistic, he's whiny, he thinks he's the most important thing created on Earth…"

Mabel snorted at Dipper's statement and playfully rolled her eyes. "Don't be such an exaggerator, Dipper! Sure, that guy may have lots of cash and gold and other dumb rich guy stuff, but there _is_ one thing that he _doesn't_ have…"

Dipper looked at Mabel with a bewildered expression. "W-What's that?" he asked confusedly.

And without warning, Mabel quickly gave Dipper a tight hug around his waist. Dipper was caught off-guard, but deep down, his heart warmed up at the sweet gesture.

"He doesn't have the best twin brother ever…" she answered in her most earnest voice ever.

Dipper blushed softly at the affectionate hug, but willingly and happily returned the gesture, feeling more relieved today than he was all week. Soon, they released each other from their hug.

"I-I-I will...thanks, Mabel…" replied Dipper gratefully, his blush slowly receding from his cheeks.

"Anytime, bro, but seriously, just save yourself the trouble next time and sit with me for lunch instead of dealing with Sir Fancypants over there, okay?" Mabel advised kindly. Dipper nodded meekly.

"S-Sorry, I just figured that you always hung out with your friends here a-and I didn't wanna bother you all...y'know…" he said, trying not to sound needy or like a burden. Mabel snorted again.

"HA! Puh-leeze! You're my brother, not a bother! I can still hang with my friends and my twin bro at the same time!" she reassured playfully, prompting a small, though unsure giggle from her brother.

"Heh-heh-heh...right…" replied Dipper, as the two resumed their lunch, all while chatting about their day so far.

* * *

As the afternoon went on, the school day was finished and everyone was sent home for the day, including the Pines twins as they walked back home, got their homework all done, and helped clean up the kitchen as their parents came home from work with Chinese take-out for dinner.

The four family members all sat in the dining room eating their food, all while happily conversing about their day.

"So as it turns out…" chuckled Jason to his kids, "we finished the Renzetti case well before schedule after all!"

"Indeed!" confirmed Kristen, "The opposing person who tried to sue him wound up losing the case because Renzetti's lawyer dug up some unpaid house bills that the other guy didn't follow up on, so everything balanced itself out!"

The family laughed at the thought of it, all while scarfing down their dimsum and noodles without a care. Dipper's laugh, however, sounded more forced than genuine, but still tried to not seem suspicious.

Unfortunately, his cover had been long blown by his mother, as she then gave her husband a knowing look. Remembering their talk in the car earlier, Jason gulped down his food and gave Dipper a fatherly look in his eyes.

"Son, is everything going okay so far?" he asked carefully. Dipper blinked and sweat-dropped.

"S-Sure. Everything okay, dad. Why, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart." reassured Kristen, "But you just seem just so...distant and forlorn lately. We just want to know what's the matter, is all…"

"Yeah, son." encouraged Jason, "You know you can come to us if something's the matter, right?"

Dipper swallowed again out of fear. Looking back and forth at his parents, he was at a loss on what to tell them. One part of him wanted to tell them the truth and express his feelings about missing Gravity Falls, but the other side wanted Dipper to shut up and not be a bother.

However, as he looked towards Mabel, who was looking at him with a reassuring, sisterly smile, Dipper decided it was best to just not cause any waves tonight and let things take their course.

"I know, but really, nothing's really the matter, Mom and Dad…" he said, trying to crack even the tiniest smile on his face, "Just dealing with jerks with school, you know…"

Mrs. Pines sighed softly. "Oh dear, that Viscount child was bothering you again?" she asked, knowing full well that this was not Dipper's first encounter with the rich boy. Dipper nodded back meekly, causing Mr. Pines to lightly scoff as he poked away at his kung-pao chicken.

"Well, I can agree that those Viscounts are a piece of work!" huffed Jason in agreement, "Last time I bought a suit jacket there, the top buttons just popped off immediately! I don't help bring home the bacon just to be sold a pricey jacket that'll fall apart the second I buy it!"

* **REEEEEEEE!** * * **SNORT-SNORT!** *

"Ugh...speaking of 'bacon'..." groaned Jason Pines, rubbing his temples.

As if on cue, a familiar, greasy pig affectionately named Waddles soon tore into the kitchen, squealing and snorting up a storm as he trotted his way to Mabel, who responded to his friendly nuzzle by lovingly rubbing his back. Mr. Pines rolled his eyes.

"Hmph, I don't know what Stanley was smokin' when he decided to drop an actual live pig onto us! I swear this thing'll eat anything in its wake without hesitation…" he grumbled. Kristen giggled softly.

"You do have to admit, dear…" she said, looking at Mabel cuddling Waddles contently, "He does make Mabel very happy…"

Soon, even Mr. Pines couldn't help but to smile slightly seeing Mabel's bright face.

"Yeah...I suppose you're right...though, I still wish he didn't chew through my favorite jeans. Those costed me thirty bucks!"

* * *

As dinner had finished and the day slowly turned to night, Dipper and Mabel had readied themselves for bed as they retreated to their shared bedroom to get ready for another school day tomorrow.

As Mabel had managed to fall asleep herself, with Waddles snuggled beside her, Dipper still kept himself awake for a little while longer. He looked to his sister. Thankfully, she was dead asleep. He ever so carefully slunk out of his bed and gently tiptoed towards his nightstand and opened the drawer.

There, he picked up a scrap of paper and looked at it with a fond, nostalgic look on his face, seeing it clearly even through pitch black darkness. Some may find this weird being like this towards a piece of paper, but to Dipper, this was not any regular piece of paper…

It was a cherished memory…

All his Gravity Falls friends and family had written their names on the letter as a rememberance to wish them a happy life until they returned to the Falls again. Everyone that he loved, formerly despised, fought against, and fought alongside with, were all there on this letter, causing fresh memories of an eventful, yet exciting summer to flood Dipper's mind.

Dipper kept his longing stare on the paper until he heard a soft whimpering noise to his left. He caught a glance of Mabel stirring in her sleep. Not wanting to be found out, he stashed the paper back in the drawer and quietly rushed back in his own bed, as not to fully wake Mabel up.

Thankfully, Mabel didn't do as such as she snuggled further in the covers, lulling back to a deep sleep once again. Dipper breathed a relieved sigh and looked up at the ceiling, deep in his own thoughts.

' _I may want to go back to the Falls more than anything in the universe...but I just can't up and leave Mabel, or Mom and Dad...oh, man...what can I even do?_ '

He looked towards his sleeping sister for a second, before closing his eyes to rest.

' _Just try and take it in stride, Dipper...maybe the rest of the week may prove to be uplifting...hopefully…_ '

And with that thought swimming through his subconscious, Dipper finally fell asleep, internally praying that things may get better soon.

Although, as we all know, that may not be the case, as the road to recovery isn't exactly short to begin with...

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **A few things to say at the end of this chapter…**

 **Firstly, major apologies if we haven't gotten to Dipper's ultimate decision yet. When I was writing this, I felt that I didn't wanted this chapter alone to drag or get to the conclusion so quickly, hence why I only included Dipper's events at school so far. Next chapter will definitely showcase on whether or not Dipper will stay at home or go to the Falls, scout's honor!**

 **Secondly, I named Dipper and Mabel's parents after their respective voice actors, Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal, just as cute lil' easter eggs, y'know!**

 **And thirdly, on terms of my OC for this story, Edward Viscount III, I wanted to write him as sort of Dipper's opposite, being pessimistic, self-assured, and uninterested in learning new things (be they supernatural or not), though looking back, I feel like I just written him as basically a genderbent and less fleshed-out version of Pacifica who's just being a jerk to Dipper for the lulz…**

 **...do people even say "for the lulz" in 2018 anymore…? IDK...**

 **Anywho, I also wanted to try and come up with the fanciest name I can think of, especially with his last name, Viscount, just being another name for a royal title, like "Lord" or "Earl".**

 **Anyways, thanks again for reading and I promise that next chapter will bring forth Dipper's decision, so stay tuned and we'll see how that goes! :D**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	3. Chapter 2: The Decision

**In response to New Yorktown's review:** _ **Glad you've liked my take on Mom and Dad Pines! I more-or-less based them off of Riley's parents from PIXAR's Inside Out, with both mothers being a classic example of a doting, sensible, and overbearing mom, and with both fathers being sort-of clueless and somewhat stern, but hard-working and well-meaning fathers. In the end, both pairs of parents still do share one common fact: they both love their kid(s) very much and will always be there for them. I figured this interpretation would be different than having the Pines twins' parents be a couple of stuffy-shirted, stern, or all-around neglectant.**_

 **Anyways, we're finally at the point where Dipper's ultimate decision goes into fruition!**

 **Also, if anyone was wondering about how Mabel's "overbearingness" was gonna be put into play, that'll show up in the next two chapters, I'm afraid, but it'll still show a sense of maturity for Mabel, as despite everything the twins have gone through, she still loves Dipper as a brother, no matter what they've been through.**

 **So, enough stalling for time, because it's finally time for the big moment: the Decision!**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun).**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **CHAPTER TWO: THE DECISION**

As Wednesday rolled by, Dipper tried his very best to keep a positive mental attitude about himself. He had a hearty breakfast, he kept his mind clear and free from self-judgment, and he went about his schoolwork as normal. He even tried keeping his spirits up, as the Piedmont weather began slowly dissolving into a steady rain shower.

At school, he also made sure to keep his head down from any of the school bullies, with Edward Viscount III being the one Dipper tried to avoid like the plague. He avoided Edward's usual lunch table altogether after his little incident from yesterday, but even as Dipper sat down to eat alongside Mabel, he still felt Edward's unimpressed and scornful gaze leering towards him, even from across the large cafeteria.

On top of all that, he even did his best to try and not get reminded about Gravity Falls and its people. Unfortunately, that certain feat was hard to accomplish, as even things in Piedmont began to trigger memories of days long past from the Falls into Dipper's mind.

Every red sedan made him think about Grunkle Stan's own vehicle, although his was a lot more busted-up and rusty. Every science class made him wish Grunkle Ford was there with him to teach him about more supernatural occurrences and sightings. Every time of when he saw the school janitor made him remember Soos trying to fix up the Mystery Shack. And every redheaded girl he passed by in the hallways made him think about Wendy and how he secretly wished he was there with her again.

Of course, while Dipper would never admit it, especially to either Mabel or Wendy, but in his mind, he still harbored some of his amorous feelings towards Wendy.

Ever since he, Wendy, Soos, and Mabel had discovered Grunkle Ford's bunker and battled a shapeshifter throughout the process, Dipper found out about Wendy knowing about his crush towards her. Sure, as embarrassed as he was when the truth came out, he was at least thankful to the gods that Wendy still wanted to remain friends after all that.

But still, Dipper still admired Wendy for just about every trait she possesses; her natural beauty, her fun-loving and laid-back personality, her bravery and quick-thinking. She had many different quirks and traits that made Dipper wish he had himself.

As much as he wanted to try and convince himself to stay just "as friends", a tiny voice in the back of his mind still seemed to keep reminding Dipper that whatever the situation, Wendy will always be his first, actual crush and nothing's gonna change that…

Dipper, however, decided to shake off that feeling as he headed down the hallway to his next class: gym.

* * *

The school gymnasium was abuzz with activity today. Some kids ran around the indoor sprinting track, some played basketball on one side of the gym, while others were doing regular exercises, like push-ups and squats, on the other side.

Dipper, who was not one for exercise to begin with, simply abided his time by just walking around the track that circled around the gym. Considering that he also shared this class with Edward Viscount also made it clear that neither one of them wanted to be anywhere near each other.

The sharp tweet of the gym teacher's whistle caught the attention of both him and the rest of the students as they scrambled towards a balding, middle-aged, and slightly buff-looking man standing near in the middle of the court. He cleared his throat sharply.

"Alright, kids!" he boomed through his deep Brooklyn accent, "We were plannin' to do sum' track n' field outside today, but because of the rain, we're stuck in here today, so I gots the perfect way to spend a nice gym class indoors…"

With the sound of that being said, Dipper could only think of one activity that he and the other students were gonna be subjected to, and to him at this moment, it didn't sound like fun at all...

"Today, we're playin' dodgeball!"

The reactions to this prospect were somewhat mixed. Some kids cheered and got hyped up at the very mention of the word "dodgeball", some simply shrugged and went along with it, while the rest (including Dipper) were dreading this game as if it was the Black Plague.

Dipper, in particular, felt quite queasy. His noodly legs wobbled and his body felt stiff and frozen from fear. Dodgeball was the one gym activity that he disagreed with. However, any amount of objection would just fall onto deaf ears to his gym coach.

"I'll be splitting youse up in teams today, Team A will consist of Viscount, Springer, Aoshima, Pitt, Braly, Sandoval, and Hall, while Team B gets Rianda, McKeon, Wallington, Paez, Pines, Chapman, and Rowe!" listed off the coach, as he passed three red rubber balls towards the group.

Moments later, the game was already commencing with Team A soundly beating Team B in the process. Three members of Team B had already been eliminated, leaving Dipper and three other students on the court.

Naturally, Team A had its full seven-player roster...with Viscount practically carrying the team as we speak. Every ball he lunged towards his opponent connected, although more harshly than anticipated.

Dipper ducked, weaved, and slid across his side of the court, doing his hardest to avoid every dodgeball swung at his direction, but just _barely_ managed to avoid getting hit. It seems that all that running around from danger he did in the Falls greatly benefited his abilities.

Sadly, they still weren't sharp enough as Dipper accidentally lost his footing and slipped onto the ground with a thud. Edward noticed Dipper's fall and smirked determinedly.

' _Easy target…_ ' he thought as he reeled back his arm and let the ball freely escape from his fingertips.

Dipper had just now noticed the red, heat-seeking sphere aimed straight towards and tried to shimmer his way back up. But alas…

* **WA-PAANG!** * " _YEE-OUCH!_ "

...he just wasn't fast enough as the ball made contact squarely at his face.

Dipper slunk to the floor, his face red and stinging from the rough impact. He yelled in mild pain, tears beginning to escape from his eyes. Edward looked at the shrivelling boy and chortled smugly.

"Pathetic little runt…" he snarked victoriously.

* **TWEEEET!** *

"Viscount, you're outta the game!"

Edward whipped his head towards the coach and gawked at him as if he grew another set of arms.

"But I clearly hit him, he should be out!" Edward cried out in indignance, shocked that he was getting called out.

The coach fixed his glare on the preppy teen. "In the rules of dodgeball, hitting an opponent in the face with a ball ends with the thrower getting benched. Therefore, Pines is still in the game and 'yer out, so skadaddle, Viscount!" he countered, pointing towards the bench.

Edward groaned angrily and did as he was told, furiously that _he_ was struck out for the first time ever in this game.

"Dipper, 'yer still in the game! Get up and let's get this game going on, already!" called the coach.

Dipper tried his best to pick himself up again, which he finally managed to do so, but with his face still stinging from getting hit by a 100MPH ball, he couldn't get his bearings straight just yet. He hadn't the chance to clear his head quick enough as the coach blew his whistle, resulting in the continuation of the game.

However, it wasn't very long until another incoming ball decked Dipper in the shoulder at high speeds.

* **POW!** *

"AARGH!" Dipper cried in pain as he nearly fell over again from his dazed stupor. The coach blew his whistle yet again.

"Pines, 'yer out!" called the coach, "Get to the bench!"

Dipper struggled back up and limped his way to the time-out bench, mentally feeling thankful that this torture was finally over. However, as he made his way to the bench, he could hear the other kids mumble to each other along the way, all sounding quite judgmental and unimpressed.

"Wow, is he literally that much of a weakling?"

"Why wouldn't he be, can you see those skinny arms and legs of his?"

"They look like spaghetti, to be honest."

"I bet even his sister can throw a ball better than he can…"

"He should be hitting the gym instead of hitting the books, in my opinion!"

"So much for our team winning today…"

Dipper, feeling too humiliated to even look anyone in the eyes, just simply tried to block out everyone's spiteful commentary and sat on far end of the bench, silent and ashamed.

Edward looked towards Dipper and despite his anger for being benched, he couldn't help but to crack a smirk upon seeing Dipper lose along with him.

* * *

The next class on Dipper's schedule was history, as the class were going through the Ancient Roman section from their books. Their history teacher, a middle-aged man with brown hair, square glasses and a pink dress shirt, began reading from his own book, giving the students a quick lesson recap.

"The Romans have been known for their vast array of inventions, including but not limited to architecture…" droned the teacher in a somewhat-bored fashion, "Could anyone tell me what kind of architecture did the Romans specialize in?"

Nobody in the seats bothered to raise their hands, as the lesson practically bored them all into submission. Dipper, on the other hand, would've gladly answered this question, but his experience at gym left him both sore, dizzy, and too embarrassed to even try and do anything.

The teacher pursed his lips and decided to pick on a student instead for the answer.

"Okay, then...Mr. Pines, can you answer the question, please?"

Dipper winced and froze in his seat, unhappy that he was put on the spot so quickly. The rest of the class, as well as the teacher, looked towards Dipper, all expecting him to give the teacher the answer.

Although their stares didn't seem judgmental in reality, Dipper's mind knew if he slipped up his answer by even the tiniest bit, everyone would never let him hear the end of this minor slip-up.

The crippling anxiety was enough for the usual brainy and innovative Dipper to lose his train of thought!

"Uh...uh...it's-umm…" stuttered Dipper, sweating up a storm, "They...created...ooh-uh..."

The other kids couldn't help but to stifle their giggles at seeing Dipper looking so clueless and flustered. The teacher exhaled tiredly.

"Very well...Mr. Viscount, do _you_ have the answer?" asked the teacher.

Edward, who was sitting in the front row of the class, stood back and dusted off his jacket.

"Yes, I do, good sir…" he hummed condescendingly, "The architecture that the Romans specialized were aqueducts, roads, and arches, amongst many other achievements…" The teacher nodded.

"Correct, Mr. Viscount…" he replied, before getting back to his lesson on the chalkboard.

Proud of his accomplishment, Edward looked towards Dipper and gave him the most victoriously-smug smirk he ever gave him before sitting back down.

Dipper didn't know if the blush spreading on his face was from embarrassment or from anger, but either way, Dipper groaned unhappily as he buried his face in his history book and away from reality.

* * *

The remainder of the school day went by very quickly, much to Dipper's gratefulness, as the school day ended and both he and Mabel were finally home at last. During the car ride home, Dipper still seemed to be his usual-quiet self, and yet somehow, he managed to look more melancholy than before. The autumn rain shower certainly didn't help in his favor, as he was mostly silent throughout the rest of the evening.

At dinnertime, Jason, Kristen, Dipper, and Mabel were all chowing down on some fresh spaghetti, with the parents once again discussing the busy workloads they went through at the law firm and Mabel chattering about the fun time she had in art class.

Out of the four of them, Dipper still remained demure and downcast, excluding himself from their conversation as he slowly chewed through his dinner, and like yesterday, he still tried to assure his parents that he was okay, although his mom and dad (especially his mom) did seem that convinced.

Soon afterwards, Dipper then retreated back to his room to do his homework for the day while Mabel was downstairs watching TV with their mom and dad. Luckily, he was more conscious enough to finally finish his work before he placed his folder and books back in his backpack.

His homework finished and Mabel out of the room, Dipper inhaled softly and walked back over his to drawer, thinking that maybe looking back at his letter from Gravity Falls might ease his frayed nerves.

He spent a good amount of time laying on his bed and looking through the letter with all his friends and family printed on it, each name having their own unique sense of typography and bright shade of color. He especially found himself lingering over Wendy's name for the longest, from admiring the primrose-colored color she used for her name to the warm remark for him to "stay cool" until they met again.

Dipper would've spent his entire evening scanning this letter and reminiscing about his past summer when a rapid-fire knock on the door nearly made him jump out of his skin.

"Heeey, Dipper! C'mon, you're missing our show tonight!" she jeered as she barged into the room, leaving Dipper to panic and quickly hide the letter in his open backpack, without thinking.

Mabel entered through the doorway and noticed Dipper's suddenly frantic behavior, seeing his eyes darted around and his forehead starting to sweat.

She eyed Dipper confusedly and somewhat-suspicious. "What's going on here?" she asked curiously.

Dipper jittered from his spot on the bed and nearly choked on his words.

"N-N-Nothing's going on here, w-why do you ask, Mabes…?" Dipper tried to reassure, his anxiety skyrocketing to deep space at this point.

Mabel tilted her head and gave Dipper a funny look. "I thought I saw you hide something in your backpack…"

Dipper shrugged, feigning ignorance. "That was just some boring, old history homework, you know. Yep, just homework. Not some dumb letter or anything!" he waved off, before realizing that him saying the word "letter" practically blew his cover.

Suddenly, Mabel's suspicion turned into unbridled excitement in the blink of an eye.

"'Letter'? Like a love letter!? Ooooooh, is somebody crushing on you, Dipper!?" she squeaked, her giddy smile as bright as her growing blush. Dipper sweat-dropped and tried keeping his composure intact.

"No, it's just homework, plain and simple is all! Nothing more!" he tried to reason as he carefully led Mabel out of the room. Mabel giggled slyly and waggled her brows.

"Uh-huh, sure it isn't, lover boy!" she teased, giving him a knowing wink, "Well, if you're done gawking at your love-letter, 'Cash Wheel' is on tonight, so let's pick up the pace here!"

"O-Okay, sure…" nodded Dipper, forgetting that they the family usually got together to watch "Cash Wheel" once in a while. The twins scampered down the stairs and huddled by the TV with their parents frequenting the couch.

But even as the program droned on for the last half-hour, Dipper still couldn't help but to think back more memories back during his summer. Watching "Cash Wheel" had especially triggered a memory forming in his mind of Grunkle Stan becoming a contestant on the show, leaving Mabel in charge of the Shack. All the laughs, jokes, playful jabs, and heartwarming moments he shared with his friends from the Falls all caught up to him.

Quite frankly, stuff like this made him wanna go back there more than ever before…

A gentle nudge on his shoulder caused Dipper to break away from his nostalgia as Mabel leaned over to him with a smile.

"Hey, remember when Grunkle Stan was on this show and failed because he didn't know one of the answers?" she joked good-naturedly to her twin, "HA! Good times, eh, Dipper?"

Dipper chuckled nervously,

Yep, heh, good times…" he assured, before looking back towards his room, thinking about his prized letter yet again. He frowned and sighed quietly to himself.

"...good times…"

* * *

The next day, things were no different for Dipper at school. Naturally, the school day progressed with Dipper trying to not make an utter fool of himself in front of his peers. Luckily, his Thursday classes didn't have him and Edward Viscount in the same room together today, so that helped Dipper have some sort of relief. Regardless, he still tried to keep to himself and not cause anything to cause more mockery.

While he was too dead-set on this goal, he had completely forgotten that he accidentally brought his letter with him to school with him in his backpack, wedged inside one of his folders!

Dipper had made it through the first part of the school day without causing a slip-up, and he and the rest of his grade had just began their lunch period. He had just exited the lunch line with his food tray and folder in-hand (with the lunch today being a bland-looking hamburger with a side of...questionably-unsavory mac-and-cheese), and he was making his way to find Mabel to sit with her.

He strolled closer to where Edward usually sat, with the preppy heir in question having lunch in his seat, with the blonde and redhead boys from before still joining him at their table.

Edward noticed Dipper walk close by, and seizing the opportunity, he waited for Dipper to come past, before he quickly stuck out his right leg in Dipper's path, causing the Pines twin to stumble onto the ground...and straight onto his lunch.

Edward chortled at Dipper's plunder, as the redhead / blonde duo only winced at his pain.

"Oh dear…" sniggered Edward, "I'm amazed even _you_ feel for that old gag, Dipstick!" he crooned before breaking into laughter once again.

Dipper struggled back up on his feet and groused at the sight of the icky mac-and-cheese stain on his shirt and vest. He looked back at Viscount with an annoyed look, picked up his tray of smushed food, and promptly left. The two boys looked at Dipper with sympathetic looks and turned towards their bossy ally.

"I really don't see this is all necessary, Edward…" remarked the blonde kid. Edward wiped away a tear and rolled his eyes.

"It's necessary for me, child!" snickered the young heir, "Seeing Pines get up in a tizzy is just too rich to pass up!"

The redhead gave Edward a judgy look. "Is all this because he got you struck out of the team during dodgeball yesterday?" he retorted. Edward shuddered and scoffed rudely.

"This isn't about dodgeball, you ninny! It's about the hierarchy!" snapped Edward crossly, "People like me are considered the top of the food chain; rich, successful, and good-looking. Those at the bottom of the food chain, like you two, are considered to be less than dirt…"

The two kids looked incredibly insulted at what Edward was proposing, but couldn't manage to say a word. Edward watched Dipper scuttle away to throw away his ruined food..

"As far as I'm concerned, Dipstick should've stayed at that hillbilly dump where he belonged...him _and_ that reckless sister of his…" he declared.

Edward still kept his glance on Dipper as the boy in question soon left the cafeteria altogether to tend to the stain on his shirt. The young heir scoffed and stood up from his seat to throw away his finished meal, leaving behind two concerned and annoyed males at the lunch table.

"I'm really beginning to question why we tag along with that jerk…" grumbled the redhead.

"Same here…" agreed the blonde before getting an idea, "Once we get the chance, I'd say we'd at least apologize to Dipper about all this trouble Viscount's giving him…"

The redhead gave his friend a determined look and nodded back. "Agreed!" he said.

* * *

"Lousy Viscount...thinking just because his family is rich means he can pick on me...what even is his deal? What did I do to provoke him to pester me!?"

Dipper grumbled and stormed down the halls with one of his folders tucked under his shoulder. He was in a very rotten mood because of Edward's brashness and was too agitated to even think straight. Right now, he was heading to the men's restroom to try and calm his nerves and clean the messy mac-and-cheese splatter on his shirt.

As he neared the school lavatory, he failed to notice his cherished letter still shifting around in his folder.

Dipper soon entered the empty bathroom, went straight for the sink, and turned on the faucet. He first splashed some water on his face to cool himself down. Then, he managed to wash away the gunk off his clothes until they were all cleaned up, though they were still quite damp afterwards.

He panted softly and gaze longingly at his reflection in the mirror. He frowned deeply and hung his head sadly.

' _This just isn't working out at all...I can't survive another minute in this town…_ ' he thought despondently to himself.

Even though there was still a part of him that wanted to stay in Piedmont for the benefit of Mabel and his parents, he didn't know if he can go through another day of misery and mockery.

Figuring while he was in the bathroom anyways, he decided to go into one of the stalls to relieve his bladder before class started. He carefully placed his folder on top of a toilet paper dispenser and did his business in peace.

However, just as Dipper was nearly done, the folder slowly began to slide off the dispenser due to being out of balance, sending sheets of papers flying onto the ground around him.

"Aw, geez!" griped Dipper, zipping up his pants, as he crouched down to pick up all his papers.

As he did so, he noticed another one of his papers laying outside of his stall.

Upon closer inspection, Dipper squinted his eyes, trying to decipher this oddly familiar-looking piece of paper. Between the colorful splotches of texts surrounding a large message labelled in the center of the page, it didn't take long for Dipper to find out what this paper really was. His eyes began slowly widening in surprise upon the paper's true identity.

"Wait a minute...is that...our letter from the Falls!?"

* **CRREEEAAKK!** *

Just after Dipper came to that realization, the restroom doors creaked slowly open. Regardless, Dipper crouched lower under the shall to see who was entering, before he would try to snatch the letter back in his hand.

Sadly, judging by the looks of the pricey-looking dress shoes this person was wearing, Dipper knew full well who this newcomer was.

' _Viscount!_ ' he gasped in his mind.

Edward strolled into the bathroom, unbeknownst of Dipper's presence, as he went in to wash his hands. Dipper eyed the preppy heir with baited breath before deciding to try and snag his beloved letter back. Unfortunately, even as he extended his skinny arm to do so, he hadn't he heard Edward heading towards the stall, looking quite curious.

"What on earth is this here?" he asked, genuinely confused..

Dipper gulped and as fast as a cheetah, he reeled back his hand and then carefully climbed himself onto the toilet, not wanting to be seen. Of course, Edward legit didn't know that Dipper was even in this room. He only went in their to clean up before classes were to commence soon!

Edward had just noticed the letter on the bathroom floor and then picked it up before Dipper could retrieve it, inspecting to see what it was. His eyes scanned the page, looking at each unfamiliar name with curiosity and dumbfoundedness.

"Who in the blue blazes are these people!? 'Fiddleford'? 'Gideon'? 'Sch...schme...Schme...bulock…'? What kind of ridiculous names are these!? And what even is a 'Grunkle'!? Sounds like a disease, if you ask me!" he questioned disgustedly as he read through the page.

Dipper, still trying to stay motionless and quiet as humanly possible, was mentally kicking him right now. How could he have known he accidentlaly put his letter in his bag!? He was so busy with his self-deprecation that he nearly forgot who was reading his letter to begin with.

"'See you next summer'?" read Edward at last. He paused and tried to kept reading around to see who this could belong to.

Then, there was trouble. Dipper suddenly began to lose his footing while trying to perch himself on the toilet, but it was no use as he immediately stumbled off the bowl and fell onto the floor with a thud. Edward flinched from the sudden sound and kneeled down under the stall, shocked to see a certain brunette slumped on the floor.

" _Pines!?_ " cried out Edward in bafflement, "Wh-What do you think you're doing here!?"

Dipper quickly got back up and stepped out of the stall. "I could say the same thing about you…" he huffed.

Edward scoffed at Dipper's annoyed tone. "Well, this _is_ a public restroom, Dipstick. I was just in here to wash my hands when I found this little scrap of paper located in front..of your...stall…"

Soon enough, Edward managed to put two and two together as everything suddenly caught up with. He slowly grew a devious smirk on his face.

"Wait a tick...this wouldn't happen to be _yours_ now, would it?" he sneered playfully. Dipper growled.

"What business is that of yours, Viscount!?" snapped Dipper, inching closer towards Edward.

"Everything is always _my_ business, Pines! I don't suppose these people are _friends_ of yours, are they? Hmph, small world..." retorted Edward, trying to keep the paper away from Dipper as far as possible.

"Yeah, so what!?" asked Dipper, "Am I not allowed to have friends!?"

"Well, considering from all the photos your inept sister keeps posting on Chirper over the summer, I would say that it's fitting for a sadsack like you to wind up being friends with a bunch of Oregon hill people rather than with normal city-goers like us…" snickered Edward teasingly. Dipper's face went redder than ever. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"They are not hill people... _ **they're my friends!**_ " he yelled out, as he jumped forward to retrieve his letter.

Unfortunately, Edward thought fast and held the letter high above his head, far from Dipper's reach.

"Ah-ah-ah...too slow, Dipstick…" mocked Edward, having too much fun pushing Dipper's buttons to care about anything anymore.

Dipper growled and determinedly tried to reach for his letter. He stood on his tip-toes, he tried jumping to get it, but he was still wasn't able to snag back his beloved letter. Dipper then tried to climb up on Edward to get it back, as he grabbed his right arm in retaliation.

However, in Edward's point of view, this was a big no-no indeed...

"Hey! Hands off my jacket, you vulture! This is pure cashmere here!" snapped Edward furiously.

Then, without hesitation, he forcefully shoved Dipper off of him and made him stumble and bump his head against the stall behind him. Dipper slunk down on the ground and whimpered in pain as Edward loomed over him, smirking nastily down on the disheartened boy.

"Hmph, pathetic…" he chuckled, Dipper's letter still clutched in his hand.

Dipper soon forgot to be angry and looked back up at Edward, now being more desperate and than anything. He wiped away an incoming tear and tried to reason with Viscount instead.

"P-Please...Edward...just let me have my letter back, please! Th-That's all I ask for…" he begged, his cheeks red from exhaustion. Edward tittered quietly.

"Oh, is it now?" he hummed innocently, "I don't suppose you'd have anything to offer to me in return…?"

Dipper stammered and gulped, his anger now depleted and replaced with fright and desperation.

"I-I-I'll do anything, please! I-I'll do your homework if you want! Just please give back my letter!" pleaded Dipper, ready to burst into tears. Edward winced sarcastically.

"Hmm...I don't know...yesterday in history class, you didn't seem very attentive when the teacher called on you...I can't risk getting a bad grade, you know…" explained Edward loftily. At this point, Dipper was growing into hysterics as the lunch period was drawing to a close as we speak.

"Edward, please!" cried Dipper, as tears finally began to fall freely down his reddened cheeks, "That letter is very important to me, just please let me have it back! I'm begging you!" Edward's eyes widened.

"Oh, it's important to you, eh?" he asked, breaking into a false smile, "Well...why didn't you say so?"

He then brought the letter in front of Dipper's face, with both hands grabbing each end of the letter. Dipper smiled a thankful, but broken smile as he slowly reached for his precious letter, hoping the worst is finally over.

Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on Edward's devilish smile, which was a warning that what was to follow next was going to be pretty...

* **RRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPP!** *

"...Whoops…"

Dipper's bloodshot and watery eyes grew to the size of dinner plates at this sudden act! Without any sign of remorse or guilt, Edward tore the letter in two vertical, clean halves.

Time had frozen still for Dipper's world. The one thing to help Dipper remember the best summer he ever had in his entire life, was now tarnished, torn in half just like his heart. All he did was stare slack-jawed and silent as Edward chortled haughtily above him.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh...oh dear! It seems your friends from Oregon had to up and _split_! Ah, well, can't win them all, eh, Pines?" cackled Edward as he promptly left the bathroom, leaving poor, heartbroken Dipper to his own affairs, though not before letting the torn strips of paper fall on the ground in front of Dipper.

As Edward finally, Dipper shuddered uncontrollably, the gravity of this situation being too overwhelming for him to handle. His sobs turned into wails, his jerky body twitches became more unsteady, and his eyes leaking non-stop.

Without another word, he immediately snagged back the ripped letter, retrieved his folder, and bolted out of the men's restroom, just as the bell rang. Dipper avoided the passing students in his path, trying not to show his tears as he tried to find a more secluded area in the school, which wasn't very likely to be honest.

Everything was a blur to him at this point. He couldn't hear any of the teachers warning him to not run in the halls, he didn't care if he accidentally bumped into a student or not, and he especially didn't care who he ignored as he kept on running.

The blonde and redhead kids from lunch did manage to spot Dipper come through down the hall, their plan to apologize and make amends to him still fresh in their minds. Unfortunately, they hadn't the chance to say a single word to him as he whooshed past the two shocked boys without saying anything.

Meanwhile, Mabel was now heading to her science class, looking quite worried. She hadn't seen Dipper during lunchtime and was trying to see where her brother may have gone to.

Suddenly, she spotted a familiar brunette with a brown wool cap rushed down the halls. She waved her hands around to hopefully gain his attention.

"Dipper? Dipper, where have you been!?" There was no response. Mabel tried again to flag him down.

"Dipper! Dipper!"

" _ **LEAVE ME ALONE!**_ " was all that Mabel heard as Dipper sprinted past her, leaving behind his normally-perky and sunshiney twin, now looking incredibly confused and deathly concerned.

"...D-Dipper…?" she asked, before Dipper rounded a bend, and was now out of sight.

* * *

Dipper soon found himself trudging down a strangely-empty hallway that was part of his path to his next class. However, Dipper was too concerned about more important matters than his class at the moment.

He stared at his slit letter with misty eyes and a deep, heartbroken frown. The one keepsake that was near and dear to his heart, now ruined. He especially choked up upon seeing Wendy's name and message in split clean in half as well. Tears fell and landed on his paper, smearing some of the names a bit.

Dipper could barely think straight. His mind was filled with nothing but people mocking him, making fun of him behind his back. Granted, most of these jabs came from Edward Viscount, but that didn't mean that Dipper wasn't tired of all this ridicule nonetheless.

He could hear every spiteful and smug comment from Edward's mouth spiraling in his mind like an angry wasp.

' _Spending your whole summer at that dirty, redneck-infested Oregon town really made you lose touch with reality, Pines..._ '

' _A commoner like you should be with its own kind…_ '

' _Pathetic little runt…_ '

' _It's fitting for a sadsack like you to wind up being friends with a bunch of Oregon hill people rather than with normal city-goers like us…_ '

' _Can't win them all, eh, Pines?_ '

Suddenly, Dipper halted firmly in his tracks. He took in a shaky breath. After three weeks of tiresome meddling and loneliness, his mind had finally been made up.

' _I...I...I've had enough of this…all the mocking, the bullying...being considered trash to everyone...I can't take being in Piedmont anymore…I just can't!_ '

' _I...I…_ '

Dipper's fists clenched harder, his mind was foggy and his heart was heavy from sadness. It was then and there he knew what he wanted to do now, more than ever before.

' _I...I-I'm done being a nobody...I am just done...I'm gonna be with people that understand me…people that respect me and don't see me as a joke…a place where I consider it home..._ '

And with his new goal set in stone, he walked down the empty hallway, dried his ever-flowing tears, placed his torn letter in his folder, and walked to his class with a sad, yet determined frown, his almost-considered dream soon to become reality. He knew if he stuck around in Piedmont any longer, he'd just continue becoming a laughingstock to his peers, as well as being an absolute burden to his family.

To go to a place where his weirdness would be fully accepted by many. To never be judged so harshly ever again...

' _...I'm going back to Gravity Falls...no matter what the cost…_ '

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **By God, this chapter was a doozy for me to write! So, Dipper's unanimous choice has finally been made and that is that! However, there still is the matter of getting back to the Falls somehow. Will his eventual plan go up in smoke, and how will Mabel and their parents get involved?**

 **A few quick things to bring up, tho!**

 **-Those last names of Dipper and Edward's dodgeball teams? Those are actually the last names of people who have written and directed episodes of the actual show that I've thrown in as a lil' easter egg; the episode directors being on Edward's team and the writers being on Dipper's team!**

 **-If anyone is wondering about this unnamed redhead / blonde duet showing up alongside Edward, they will play an actual role in this story. I've mainly written them as not really sidekicks to Edward, because I wanted them to have some sense of morale, but because they hang with Edward just so they feel popular as well, despite Edward's rash behavior.**

 **-While writing this chapter, I feel like the whole "Dipper wants to go back to the Falls" spiel was getting kinda repetitive during this chapter. Sure, he certainly had a more enjoyable life there than he had in Piedmont (in spite of every mythical being in the Falls trying to kill him and Mabel, of course), but from where I am standing personally, I feel like I'm writing Dipper as petty and selfish about this whole ordeal, so apologies if I seem like I'm making Dipper seem OOC in this story.**

 **In the end, I'll let you guys be the judge as I hope you guys are still enjoying the fic! Thanks for reading and sticking around, as I'll be back (hopefully) soon with Dipper's attempt to escape Piedmont in Chapter Three: The Getaway! :D**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	4. Chapter 3: The Evasive Twin

**Sorry for the semi-long wait, everybody, but "Saudade" is back with another chapter, baby! But first, a review response and an important notice.**

 **In response to guest user Ahmed Samy's review:** _ **First of all, let me say I'm over the moon that I've invested you in this plot, even if the concept's not exactly your type of thing. I was hoping to sort of downplay Dipper's sadness without making him a whiny crybaby, as well the need to give him time as to what he truly desired to do. As for Dipper and Mabel, their confrontation chapter may have a bit of mild angst thrown in (given the situation they are in), but b/c I love adding of the prospect of family in my fics, it'll also highlight their close bond, regardless of their previous actions from the show. Still, I'll try not to make it seem so black and white for you.**_

 **Now, while we're getting to the nitty-gritty here, I just wanted to apologize in advance for what I am to say (no, Saudade ain't being on hiatus or getting cancelled or anything), but because I've been toiling with this story and several others at the same time, I've decided to split this chapter into two, this one to showcase Dipper** _ **planning**_ **his escape while the next chapter will actually show his actual escape to Gravity Falls.**

 **A full, more in-depth explanation for why I did this will be shown after the end of the fic.**

 **With that out of the way, we shall soon see Dipper's plan his grand escape to the Falls! The question is, how will he get there? And how does his family play a role in this? Will they find out about his plan beforehand? Let's see to it in Chapter Three: The Evasive Twin (renamed since the actual getaway is now the next chapter)! :)**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun).**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **CHAPTER THREE: THE EVASIVE TWIN**

Mabel sat at a large, round table with three other tween girls sitting next to her. Normally, art class was Mabel's idea of blissful paradise, where she can be as expressive and carefree as she wants without a care.

Today however, after seeing Dipper looking quite frantic, running down the halls and screaming like a madman, all Mabel felt was an immense sense of concern throughout her class. The memory of seeing Dipper so red-faced and miserable was still fresh in her mind, and she knew something in Dipper's life wasn't going as well as he kept insisting.

She was too busy fretting over Dipper that she didn't hear her friends calling her name from next to her.

"Mabel? Mabel? Hey, Mabel...you awake?" asked a girl with long, strawberry-blonde hair and a lavender sun dress. Mabel jolted back into reality as the girl tapped her shoulder.

"Huh...whuh…" she slurred, before realizing that she was still in class.

"Sorry to wake ya, Mabel, but I wanted to ask if you had a dark blue colored pencil on you?" asked the girl carefully. Mabel shook away the fuzzies in her head and coughed nervously.

"O-Oh, sure, Alice...uh…" she then grabbed the requested pencil and handed it to her friend, "H-Here you go…"

The three girls looked at Mabel with worried and puzzled looks. It wasn't like Mabel to seem this melancholy so often.

"...Are ya feelin' okay, Mabes?" asked an African-American girl wearing a red hoodie, "Ya look down in the dumps today…"

Mabel sighed softly. "Sorry, Bailey. I guess I was just worried about Dipper was all..." she admitted. The third girl, a Latino-American wearing a green-colored tracksuit, raised an eyebrow towards her.

"That twin brother of yours? Why? What happened?" she asked quizzically.

"That's the point, Kelsey, I have no idea what happened to him. I haven't seen him at all during lunch, and when I _did_ see him, he was running down the halls, screaming at me to leave me alone…" explained Mabel. Alice tilted her head and gave Mabel a concerned frown.

"That doesn't sound like Dipper…" she stated, "He's usually so demure…"

"Ya think maybe he was bullied or something?" put in Bailey. Kelsey shrugged softly.

"Possibly…" she added, "Lately, that smug punk Viscount has been acting moreso of a jerk than usual...why, I don't know…"

"Either way, something bad _had_ to happen to him...when I saw him in the halls, he looked like he was straight up crying!" exclaimed Mabel disheartedly. Bailey, Alice, and Kelsey winced and each gave Mabel solicitous looks.

"Oh jeez...poor fella…" sighed Bailey.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" fretted Alice. Although the three girls never really met Dipper personally, they still didn't wish any ill will upon him, considering that in Mabel's mind and eyes, he was her pride and joy. Mabel exhaled again and looked away from her gal pals.

"I'm not sure, guys...I don't know if I did something to cause him to cry or if it was something else!" fretted the sweater-donning twin, slumping her head onto the desk. The girls looked at Mabel with unconvinced looks.

"I can't really see how you can make Dipper so depressed like that?" questioned Kelsey, "I mean, you're the nicest, most positive kid we know that goes to this school!" Bailey nodded in confirmation.

"Yeah, what could you do to possibly cause any trouble for Dipper?" asked Bailey incredulously.

With that bombshell of a question dropped, it was then when Mabel started to think back to her summer in Gravity Falls, regarding times when she have acted selfish towards her twin throughout their tenure in the Falls. Of course, moments like Dipper lousing up his chance to impress Wendy to have Mabel win Waddles came up, as well as not believing Dipper when her date "Norman" wasn't an actual human, but an army of gnomes.

Simpler moments like Mabel teasing Dipper on a somewhat-constant basis also sprang into mind, like when she picked on him regarding his "unmanly nature", joking about his crush on Wendy, the sound of his cracking voice, and numerous times she would him a "dork" or a "geek", regardless if was meant to be playful or not.

The coup de grace however, was when she screwed over Dipper's chance to intern for Grunkle Ford back in the Falls, which spiraled into Mabel inadvertently causing Weirdmgeddon; a moment where Mabel truly regretted playing a part in.

Mabel knew Dipper must be hiding something, or at the very least, isn't saying something that he should. As much as she didn't want to seem too overbearing towards Dipper right now, she knew she had to do something to try and get Dipper to open up to her.

As the school bell rang, indicating the end of their class, Mabel got up and sighed sadly, leaving her concerned and confused friends as she answered Bailey's question in an unnaturally-quiet voice.

"You don't know the half of it, girls…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Dipper had just exited his study period and was now heading to his trigonometry class on the third floor. His tears had been dried up well before he got to class, as not to gain attention (and by extension, more humiliation) to himself.

He even tried to salvage his letter by stapling and taping up the halves together as one. Sure, in hindsight, it looked kinda shoddy and a bit askew, but at this point, Dipper didn't care. Thankfully, he initially thought, the damage could've been much worse, but that still didn't make make Dipper feel anymore better. If he was gonna find a way back to the Falls, then that's what he was going to do.

What was the point in staying in a town where people are just gonna judge you anyways?

As he headed to his next class, he began thinking on how this was going to work. Surely, he can't just up and leave just like that? Especially on the off-chance that his sister or his parents would find out sooner or later.

Still, his plan to return to his more suitable home was still fluttering around his mind and he hiked up his bookbag, making sure that his letter was tucked away safely this time, and walked to his class; a lot more calmer now, but still feeling overly upset over today's events.

* * *

The school day had finally ended, as happy and relieved waves of students stormed out of the school, ready to go back home. However, one certain student didn't seem that happy or relieved as she stood around by the school's drop-off zone.

Mabel paced back and forth in place, waiting impatiently and anxiously for Dipper to arrive. While they always met up here to get picked up by their parents, she was more worried about the sake of Dipper than anything else. It came as total relief to her when she finally spotted Dipper ambling out of the school to head to the drop-off area, a somber expression on his face.

"Dipper!" she cried, now sprinting towards him.

Before Dipper could reply back, Mabel tackled him in a tight, anxious hug. Dipper nearly lost his balance at the sudden gesture, but returned it nonetheless. Of course, even with Mabel's loving hug engulfing him, Dipper didn't feel too much better mentally as she then released her hug and gave him a hurt, distraught look.

"Dipper, what the heck happened to you earlier!?" she questioned, looking him square in the eye.

Dipper blinked, now recalling what she was referring to from earlier this day. He coughed awkwardly as tried keeping his composure.

"Y-You talking about that little...incident in the halls?" he asked, trying to not sound suspicious.

"Yes, Dipper, that's exactly what I'm talking about!" exclaimed Mabel, "I haven't seen ya at all during lunch, so I tried to look for ya in the halls, and when I did, you were screaming and running past me like a crazy person!"

She capped off her baffled explanation by grabbing Dipper's hand tenderly, and giving him a confused look on her faces, her eyes glinting with sadness.

"Dipper, I know something must be going on...please...you can tell me...I'm your twin sister…"

Dipper nearly felt the need to tear up upon seeing his normally-bubbly and gleeful sister look so...heartbroken. So lost and confused. Feelings that Mabel rarely shown. Regardless, he took in a deep breath, and tried to make his expression subtle and calm.

"I-It's...it's just some stupid stuff with Edward Viscount was all…" was all he murmured.

Mabel's ears perked at the mention of Viscount's name, knowing full well about the two boys' less-than-friendly history. Although she knew Viscount wasn't exactly an all-around kind chap, she still wanted to make sure if there was more to this reason.

"Edward Viscount!?" she asked surprisingly, "What did he do to you!?"

Dipper cleared his throat from nearly choking up. "N-Nothing, j-just...calling me names, being a boastful jerk. Nothing beyond that…" he explained, skimming around most of the other parts from that encounter.

Mabel squinted her eyes. "He didn't hurt you or anything?"

Dipper shook his head, trying to ignore the fading, but still stinging soreness coming from the back of his head and spine. "N-No…" he answered softly.

Mabel frowned concernedly, still unconvinced and thinking something must be fishy, placed a comforting hand on Dipper's shoulder.

"Are you sure that was all that happened?" she asked carefully, trying to be as subtle as she can possibly be.

Dipper began to sweat from Mabel's persistence, causing him to twitch slightly out of fear, but just like from before, he summoned what little strength he had right now and inhaled deeply, putting on a brave face for his twin.

"Yes, Mabel…" he confirmed simply, "I'm sure…"

And to cap off that statement, he leaned forward and gave Mabel a soft hug. Mabel was somewhat caught off-guard by this, but slowly but surely, she returned his hug, although she was still unhappy and suspicious over Dipper's behavior.

"Now, come on, Dad should be here any second…" said Dipper, leading his sister to the area.

He was right, as in twenty-some seconds, Mr. Pines drove his sedan in the pick-up zone and both twins slowly scrambled in the car. Mabel sighed softly as he climbed in the back seat, right next to the tense and forlorn figure that was her twin brother.

' _Sometimes,_ ' she thought sadly to herself as she glanced towards Dipper, ' _I just wish I can get into that guy's head…_ '

* * *

It was a rather awkward drive home as Dipper and Mabel kept very silent in the car, much to their father's confusion. When he asked if everything was fine or what happened, they only gave him one-word answers and soft shrugs.

Later in the day, dinner time wasn't exactly any better neither, as when the four sat together to have some spinach casserole, hardly any words were said between any of them. The parents were especially surprised and baffled at Mabel's unusual quietness, as they noticed their daughter frequently giving Dipper worried glances during their meal. They knew something was definitely up with Dipper.

Kristen's worries could only heighten compared to earlier this week, all while she gazed softly at Dipper from across the table. Even Jason, who tried to wave off his sadness from before, was now fully convinced that something wasn't right.

Nobody hardly said a word at dinner, even when they all finished their meals. Dipper put away his dishes first and excused himself from the table. Mabel was about to follow suit, but just as Dipper got out of earshot and had went back to his and her room, she figured she'd at least let her parents know what was transpired today with Dipper out of precaution.

As much as she didn't want to across as a tattletale at this moment, she knew telling Mom and Dad about Dipper's little episode might help lead to what exactly is up with him.

"M-Mom? Dad?" she asked feebly. Both parents, who were now ready to wash the dishes, looked back at her from the sink.

"Yes, sweetie?" Kristen asked softly.

Mabel plucked up courage and took in a breath to ease her nerves, trying not to do something she'll regret. Best to just say it and get it over with, right?

"There's something I have to tell you both about what happened with Dipper today..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Dipper had retreated to his room and began pacing, his brain going into overdrive. If he was to go back to the Falls at some point, he'd have to think smart on how he would escape to his "true home" without making his parents and sister suspicious.

Unfortunately as of now, the normally-clever and insightful boy was drawing nothing but blanks for this plan, as his mind was so foggy from today's events that he could barely think straight. If anything in his plan went slightly awry, he would definitely be busted for sure...

Busted…

Bust…

Bus…

Dipper widened in realization! He and Mabel had gone to and from Gravity Falls by bus, he could just take one back to the Falls to see his family and friends there again! Immediately, Dipper grabbed his laptop from his desk, turned it on, and opened up his tab (using incognito mode, of course). He then went and searched on the Giggle search engine for a bus that was to go to the Falls.

"Bus schedule to Gravity Falls…" he said to himself, typing it in the search bar. Soon enough, a site for his local bus station came up and he clicked on it. He scanned around the numerous schedules until he finally found something for Gravity Falls.

 **BUS SCHEDULE FOR GRAVITY FALLS, OREGON**

 **SATURDAY - SEPTEMBER 16th - BUS LEAVES STATION AT 3:00PM**

Dipper nodded, hastily grabbed a pen and scrap of paper, and wrote down the date and time as a reminder just in case. Considering that September 16th was on _this_ week, Dipper knew he had to act fast and act smart if he was to make back to Gravity Falls unnoticed.

The question still remained...how though?

* * *

"And when we met up in the halls again after school, he tried to convince me that this was because Edward Viscount was giving him a hard time…"

Jason and Kristen Pines sat in silent shock at the kitchen table as Mabel, sitting across from them, was nearly finishing her story regarding Dipper's tantrum from school today. They both almost lost their voices out of surprise from her story, as Mabel had finally ended her explanation to them.

"I-I feel like there's more to this than what Dipper is denying...but he won't open up to me…" she stated glumly.

"Oh dear…" replied Kristen after seconds of stunned quietness, "I had a feeling something bad was up with him…I just felt it in my heart…"

"There has to be something we can do!?" cried Mabel, her hands and body quivering out of fear, "I-I just don't see how can't just ask him what's wrong already!?" Jason, sensing tension already rising in the air, tried to ease his daughter down.

"Mabel, sweetie, calm down!" he said, placing a fatherly hand on her own, "Everything'll be fine…"

Mabel sniffled. "No it won't, Dad!" she whimpered, "I've never seen Dipper look so distraught for so long! He's like a different person now. It's...it's…"

She choked back a sob and wiped away some incoming tears on her sweater sleeve.

"It's like he hates me now or something…"

No sooner had Mabel uttered that statement out of left field, Kristen immediately leaned over and pulled Mabel into a close, reassuring hug.

"Ohhh...sweetie-pie…" she cooed in a soft, almost-heartbroken voice, "Dipper could never hate you. You're his twin sister, his pride and joy. Why would Dipper have a reason to hate you?"

Mabel gulped thickly and trembled at that last sentence, thinking back to when her friends at school ask a question quite similar to her mother's.

Naturally, she and Dipper didn't fully explain about what _exactly_ went down in Gravity Falls during their summer, only out of fear that Mom and Dad may not bring them back next summer upon hearing stuff about the twins fighting off shapeshifters, zombies, pterodactyls, and various other creatures.

Hence why during the return home, they'd promised each other to try and keep these certain events to themselves. Of course, Mabel would post pictures on social media about the more normal aspects of her summer in Gravity Falls, but that was it. No mentions of gnomes, ghostly convenience store owners, sentient golf ball people, or even of Bill Cipher at all.

Godforbid if word gets to them about Weirdmageddon…

Mabel shivered at her mother's question, unsure of what to say, so she just cleared her throat and tried keeping her composure.

"...N-N-No r-reason…" she muttered, looking rather downcast and guilty.

Jason sighed, hoping to calm the rarely-stressed out Mabel down. "Mabel, sweetie, calm down…" he coaxed, "I know you're upset, but we have to think rationally about this! We can't force questions out of him!" Mabel sniffled uncontrollably.

"But, we gotta do something, Dad!" wailed Mabel, trying not to lose her mind, "He's my brother, we have to help him!"

"I understand, Mabel, but we can't make it seem like we're invading in on his life…"

"We're not going to be intruding, Jason, we're seeing what's the matter with our son…" explained Kristen with a tired sigh, "He's been absolutely miserable and quiet for nearly a month and he won't tell us why!"

She then held her head with her left hand, unsure on what to do at this point. She sniffled softly, looking more forlorn than ever.

"I don't know how I can reach out to my baby boy…" she whispered, small tears began to form in her eyes.

Kristen was a person that always cherished her family to the point of being admittedly overbearing, but even then, she loved her twin children like any mother would, and always wanted to be there for them, no matter how old they are or will be.

Her serene and unwavering compassion was always something Jason cherished in Kristen. He then looked over towards Mabel, who looked just as lost and heartbroken as her mother. Jason frowned and felt a wave of guilt wash over him for his ignorance.

Hating to see his beloved wife and daughter look so upset for any longer, he then placed a tender, apologetic hand on her right hand. Kristen looked up to see Jason giving her a comforting smile.

"I know this is hard, honey. Trust me, I'm just as worried as you are, but we can't go in guns a-blazing and overwhelm him. Chances are that'll hurt him more than heal him…" he murmured calmly, gazing towards before them both. Kristen and Mabel looked back at him with somewhat-surprised eyes. Jason sighed softly before continuing.

"We'll reach out to our son somehow...but we need to be subtle about it. We have to take it one step at a time. But...if it helps, we can all go upstairs and check on him, ask him about his day and see if he'll open up to us then."

He squeezed Kristen's hand softly. "Somehow or someway...we'll find out whatever is happening with Dipper right now…"

"And we'll help him through this, no matter what…"

And after what felt like hours of thought and contemplation, Jason's mind was at ease when he spotted Mabel's slowly growing smile from across the table. He then Kristen's hand squeeze his own, looking over to see his wife giving him a sad, but grateful smile.

* * *

With Dipper's plan on how to escape to the Falls set in proverbial stone, he just had to come up with something on how to sneak out to get there without warranting any suspicion. Unfortunately, like before, nothing realistic or good came to mind.

Knowing fully well he couldn't straight up tell his parents that he was going back to Gravity Falls by himself, Dipper laid back on his bed and let out a tired, annoyed moan. He stared at the ceiling for what seemed like an hour before he heard a gentle knock at the door.

Dipper leaned back up and sighed softly. "Come in…" he called.

The door carefully opened to reveal Kristen and Jason slowly walk into the room, carrying expressions mixed with concern and curiosity. Mabel cautiously followed them in and stood by the doorway.

"Hey, son…" beckoned Jason, as careful as can be, "You doing okay?"

Dipper coughed gently and position himself on the edge of the bed. "Y-Yes, I'm okay. W-Why?"

Kristen and Jason joined Dipper on the bed at end of him. Kristen draped an arm around Dipper's waist. "Well, sweetheart, it's only because lately, you've just seemed so…so..."

She paused for a split second, trying to find a suitable word for his situation. Jason then beat her to the punch.

"You seemed kinda of...distant for a while, son…" he answered for her, "We just wanted to see if anything was the matter."

Dipper gulped and tried not to tremble out of caution. As much as he hated lying to his parents, he knew if he wanted to head back to Gravity Falls, he would have to resort to falsities to cover his tracks.

"N-Nothing's the matter, Dad. Just some...y'know, dumb stuff happening at school is all…" he reasoned. Kristen and Jason looked at each other, eyebrows raised and their eyes filled with apprehension. Mabel looked just as concerned even from the sidelines.

"...Is it anything to do with this Edward Viscount kid?" Jason asked carefully.

Dipper sighed a little. Deep down, he kinda figured Mabel would've mentioned his little outburst at school to their parents, and decided to just roll along with it. He gathered enough courage to finally give out an answer.

"...yeah...it was…" was all he uttered.

Kristen looked at Dipper with soft, motherly eyes. Even after Mabel told them both about this incident, she still felt incredibly sorry for her son's plight. "Ohhh...come here, dearie…" she cooed softly, leaning over towards Dipper.

Kristen then pulled him deep into a loving hug, which Dipper gratefully returned afterwards. Jason also helped to comfort him by rubbing his back gently.

Mabel gently joined the group, giving Dipper a shy, concerned look. "Dipper, I'm really sorry I had to tell Mom and Dad about this, but it was only because I'm worried about you…" Kristen and Jason released their hug from Dipper.

"Mabel's right, son." replied Jason, "You know if something is wrong or troubling you, that you can easily talk it out with us, right?"

Dipper looked into the eyes of their parents. They looked genuinely worried for his sake, though in Kristen's case (the fact where can be quite emotional at times), she looked deathly worried about this whole situation. Jason, of course, was just as worried, despite being a more down-to-earth and unintentionally-passive kind of guy.

Then, when he caught sight of Mabel's heartbroken face, he nearly choked back a sob himself from seeing his twin's upset expression. Her cheeks looked more red than usual, her brace-laced and cheery smile was replaced with a sad frown, and her eyes were more focused and hurt than anything.

Regardless, he tried to push away these bad thoughts and kept his composure.

"I know, Dad...b-b-but trust me. I'm doing fine, guys. Honest!" he replied, trying to sound somewhat cheerful. Kristen tilted her head.

"Are you sure, dearie?" she asked softly. Dipper simply nodded.

"Definitely. I-I just need to clear my head from all this stuff with Edward i-is all…" he assured with a nod. Mr. Pines pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"If you'd like," offered Jason kindly, "I can talk with Viscount's father about this. Maybe he can try and settle things with that kid of his?"

Dipper's eyes widened a bit. Had Edward found out that his family tried to tattle on him, he would surely be royally peeved at Dipper for sure. Plus, what if Edward blabbed about his desire to go back to Gravity Falls?

"No! No, no, no, Dad!" yelped Dipper, getting up from the bed and smiling nervously, "There's, uh, no need for that. We'll just, uh, let it run its course, y'know! N-No fuss, really!"

The parents looked at Dipper strangely from his sudden exclamation. They stayed silent for a bit until Kristen's sigh broke the tension.

"Well, regardless, dearie, I suggest you'd at least go to the principal's about this. I'd rather not have my son get tormented by that silly little prep student, you know…" she suggested carefully.

Dipper nodded. "Of course, Mom…" he replied.

Mabel then decided to take the stage to try and have Dipper open up to her. She gently placed a sisterly hand on Dipper's shoulder. Dipper looked up to her and gazed into her sad eyes.

"Dipper...please…" she whispered with a heavy heart, "I know I can be a pain sometimes, but I'm doing this because I care about you...you know that, right?"

Dipper tried to ignore the sad aura that Mabel was presenting before him. He gulped again and felt his throat dry up for a millisecond. Even though Mabel's exuberant and selfish behavior could land him and others in trouble, he still loved Mabel to death. However, he missed and loved his friends and family from the Falls just as much, as well.

The thought of trying reunited with his Gravity Falls brethren again practically clouded up his mind. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew he couldn't stick around in Piedmont, stuck being something of an awkward pariah for so long.

Right now, all Dipper did was regained his posture and gave Mabel a tiny, reassuring, albeit nervous and forlorn smile on his face.

"I know, Mabes. But, really. I'm doing fine, mentally and physically…" he assured gently. Mabel's misty eyes gazed into her brother's own.

"...Are you certain, Dipper?" she beckoned ever so softly. Dipper nodded "yes" and kept his smile.

"I'm certain, Mabel. I-It's probably just the weather or something. But trust me, you guys don't have to worry about me!"

With that said, he gave Mabel a tight, reassuring hug, much to the normally-joyful twin's surprise. It took a few seconds before she returned said hug, but the frown she still sported on her face still indicated that she wasn't fully convinced over Dipper's empathy.

He released the embrace and gave Mabel a small, though vacant smile and a pat on her arm. He then faked a yawn and stretched his arms.

"Ahh, hmmm, well, I'm gonna take an early bath tonight. Just wanna put this day behind me, you see?" he said with a groan. Jason and Kristen looked at each other for a second before turning back to Dipper, upset that it seems like their method to have their son speak his feelings would be tougher than they all thought.

"Well, okay, son...if that's what you think…" replied Jason glumly.

"But, Dipper...please know that we do love you very much... _all of us_ …" cooed Kristen, her loving, hurt tone nearly both breaking and melting Dipper's heart. Dipper stood by the door and looked back at his family.

"...I love you guys, too! But trust me, I'm doing fine!" he called back from the doorway. He turned around from the others, his smile faltering into an anxious, sad frown.

"You guys won't have to worry about me ever again…" he muttered cryptically to himself as he walked to the bathroom. His parents and Mabel hadn't heard his last sentence, but they still looked towards the young male twin with worrying eyes, unsure of what else to do.

* * *

Nightfall had finally struck upon Piedmont, as many families were now fast asleep in their beds. Normally at the Pines household, this would be no different, but because of Dipper's unnatural behavior, almost everyone barely had the ability to sleep out of worry.

Kristen and Jason laid in bed for a while, silently fretting over their son. It was almost around midnight when they finally managed to drift to sleep, as not to be groggy for when they had work tomorrow morning.

It was no better in the twins' shared bedroom as poor Mabel found it somewhat harder to sleep, as she shifted slightly in her own bed (with Waddles nestled next to her, of course), occasionally looking at Dipper's seemingly sleeping form rise up and down across his own bed, his body and head facing away from Mabel.

Mabel leaned up and quietly snuck out of bed, as not to disturb Waddles. She tiptoed towards Dipper's bed and gave her brother a sad look. With the gentleness that only a mother could give, she traced her fingers against the side of Dipper's chin, sighing softly and looking down at him.

"I wish you can tell us what's wrong with you, Dipper…All I want to do is help you out...I wanna help you smile again…" she whispered, her voice as quiet as a baby mouse. She swallowed thickly, before continuing on.

"I know I'm not the greatest twin in the universe, but...if I have to right all my wrongs, even if it takes forever, then I'll do it…for you..."

She then leaned carefully closer until her lips were nearby his ear.

"No matter what anyone says, Dipper, whether it's from Edward or anyone else, you are still loved and appreciated to us, bro-bro...please remember that…"

She capped off her statement by giving Dipper a sweet peck on the cheek. Although she couldn't tell, Dipper did seem asleep in her eyes, as he shifted a bit in his position. No reply from either sibling came afterwards.

Mabel sighed tiredly and sadly before she slunk back in her bed. The day had been absolutely tiresome for her. Her chances to find out what exactly is happening with Dipper seemed to be fruitless at this point, especially when she heard that Edward Viscount helped to cause more grief in his life.

The way she saw it, hadn't Edward kept being a total jerk to Dipper, her brother wouldn't have ultimately lost it in the first place. It was enough for Mabel to scowl at the thought of Edward's permanently-smug face and persona.

' _Lousy Edward with his dumb money and his dumb rich guy face…pickin' on poor Dipper for no reason..._ ' she huffed to herself. Just suddenly, an idea came to mind.

Considering if Edward may have helped to trigger Dipper's tantrum, maybe if she got an answer of sorts from him, maybe it'll help connect the source of Dipper's depression. Maybe there was a specific reason why Edward hustled him in the bathroom? It was worth a try, she supposed.

With her own plan thought out, it took only a few minutes for Mabel to finally ease her way to get some rest, but not before having one more sad look at Dipper before she closed her eyes again.

As Mabel dozed off into unconsciousness for the night, she hadn't accounted one detail she noticed when she was trying to comfort the sleeping Dipper…

...in that Dipper wasn't actually sleeping at all!

Dipper, who kept his eyes closed in hopes to try and lull himself to sleep, had heard everything that Mabel had just whispered to him. He hardly dared breath when this happened, especially when he heard Mabel quietly retreat back to her own bed.

Silence fell again for a long time as Dipper kept quiet and still, as not to wake Mabel if she may still be awake.

After what felt like hours passed by, Dipper carefully turned his head to see finally Mabel completely asleep in bed, frowning sadly and letting out a sigh of relief. Carefully reaching under his pillow, he then gently grabbed something in his hand from under it.

It was his note from Gravity Falls.

Dipper unfolded the letter as quietly as he could and took a long look at it. Although it was very dark and the letter was still hastily taped up, Dipper could still read each name clearly, even in pitch black darkness.

' _I love you, Mabel...and Mom and Dad, too…even through I'm not sure if I fully forgive you for your bad moments, I'll still and always will love you like a sister…_ '

He looked down and carefully folded his letter back up, cradling the somewhat-crumbled and stitched together note in his sweaty hands.

' _However...I just don't belong in Piedmont...I don't belong in a place where I'll be judged or considered as a burden to others, especially to my family…_ '

Dipper turned back to Mabel, who was thankfully still sleeping. Dipper sadly frowned at his sister, a single tear managing to sneak its way out of his tear duct to gently trickle down his left cheek.

' _This is just something I have to do, Mabel. Quite frankly, you, Mom, and Dad would all be better off without me around, where I won't hold you back. Where you can be as carefree and high-spirited as much as you'd like without me being in the way...without me being a nagging buzzkill to you…_ '

Dipper sighed ever so softly, nestled the note back under his pillow, and shifted his body. He looked at the clock next to his bed.

1:06, it read. Guess it's time to at least try and get some sleep then.

Now having his head and body face the ceiling, Dipper gazed up into the darkness of his and his sister's room for a long while, before sleep finally whisked him away from consciousness.

He wasn't sure if he'll regret this decision right now, but for the sake of not being a burden to his family in Piedmont, he figured it would be for the best...

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

* * *

 **With that chapter done, now I can fully explain why I had to cut this chapter short before Dipper's actual escape.**

 **Last week proved to be hectic for me, as I took my grandmother (and legal guardian) to the hospital on Wednesday. We spent all day there, where she was doing x-rays and tests and such. The next day, we got a call saying she had a nodule resting nearby her lungs. Later this month, she'll be doing a biopsy to see if this nodule may be cancerous or not. She's holding up fine now, but the news still scared me to death, considering I've lost my grandfather to cancer (technically it was cardiac arrest, but the cancer did play a part in it) earlier this year.**

 **Another reason was mainly because of a time crunch I had with my fics, as I was hoping to get the upcoming fics I had listed on my profile all posted before the new year, but because with this news regarding my Gram came up, I barely had time to focus on my stories b/c I was so busy and worried (hence why I hadn't had time to finish this chapter in time). On top of that, the stress of being overloaded with fanfic stories had just come up to me, so I felt I needed to lighten my load a little so it doesn't affect my writing.**

 **In the end, I've decided to try and fix up the schedule for my fics. I'll be posting two out of the five planned OK K.O.! stories for November and December, with the rest to now come out next January. My follow-up story to my Overwatch fic "Skirmish" will still be released sometime this year, and I'll continue my work on Saudade as planned, hopefully getting it done before 2019.**

 **I just want to say I deeply apologize for not getting to the more climatic chapters as planned. If this chapter didn't seem as how you've all expected it to be, I still will accept any form of criticism you guys may have and I'll try extra hard to make sure this story is to everyone's liking.**

 **I hope you all understand and that you'll know that Saudade is NOT going under a hiatus nor is it getting cancelled, I just need to sort of pace myself for now. But still, thanks again for reading and reviewing regardless!**

 **Next chapter will finally (and definitely) bring two special occurrences as we finally get into the crux of this story: Mabel confronting Edward Viscount III about what he did to Dipper to cause his little episode, and then Dipper's attempt to return back to Gravity Falls!**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	5. Chapter 4: The Getaway

**We're finally at the climax, folks, presenting the first of the two chapters that could either make me or break me on terms of how well they're portrayed. Another set of apologies yet again for the lateness, I had a job interview at Chewy and my aunt from Georgia is currently visiting over November.**

 **In response to New Yorktown's review:** _**I would say that given the stressful situation Dipper was in, he pretty much accepted to follow through with his heart and not his mind at this point in the fic, seeing how badly he wants to return to his proper home and how conflicted he is on how to deal with Mabel. Admittedly, I'm slowly realizing that I'm writing Mabel more generously than most fans would, but like I said last chapter, Dipper doesn't fully forgive Mabel's past actions (or at least, as of yet). Apologies if it sounds like I'm covering my ass here, I couldn't tell if your comment was geared towards Dipper's plan in context of the story or if was from my own idea. Hope I didn't steer you away from the story b/c of that!**_

 **Anyways, let's finally get to the chapter I know we've all been waiting for. Will Dipper's hopes to return to Gravity Falls be achieved? Let's find out in the longest freaking chapter I've ever made for a multi-chapter story...**

 **(Also, hope you guys had a safe, fun Halloween! ;) )**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor it properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun.)**

* * *

 **SAUDADE  
CHAPTER FOUR: THE GETAWAY**

Friday had finally came around, and at this point right now, Dipper's mind was still clouded up with making his dream to return back home to the Falls a reality.

With yesterday having proved to be an absolute hassle for the young Pines twin, to say the least, he had practically thrown away his moral compass at this moment, leaving his desire to go back to Oregon to grow bigger and bigger by every second.

He continued on with his classes as normal, but he barely even interacted with anyone (not that he was a social butterfly to begin with), and kept to himself all morning. He even made sure to keep his letter on-hand at all times, taking extra precaution not to let it loose or get lost from his line of sight.

He hadn't even bothered to go anywhere near Edward Viscount today, given that they both share a few classes today. The last thing he'd want is another traumatic run-in like yesterday. Thankfully, Edward hardly even noticed him during classes in return.

The day wasn't even half over yet as Dipper traipsed down the halls to his next class, thinking solemnly to himself. His desire to leave this city was growing by the minute and he knew if he stuck around here any longer and continue to be a burdening nobody, he was gonna lose his mind (which was already spiraling as we speak).

Still, he somewhat couldn't think about how his parents will react to this.

Although his parents weren't considered strict or abusive, they could still be stern and orderly when absolutely needed. Kristen was more of a doer than Jason, but she was also emotional and overbearing on top of that. And while Jason still was a caring and helpful dad, but he was the kind of guy to not want to bring drama into anything, hence why he tries to wave away some problems as something that'll pass in time.

Meaning that if they caught Dipper planning to run away, Dipper would most likely get grounded in the process.

Then, there was Mabel…

While Dipper does love Mabel with all of his heart, he certainly does question most of her choices, especially during last summer. Her buoyancy and high-spirited ways can be infectious and can be what defines Mabel, but they can also be her downfall. She can be hot-headed, overly-determined, selfish, and unaware of her surroundings, others' feelings, and especially of her actions and their consequences.

A prime example of this fact would cause Dipper to think about Weirdmageddon…

Ever since Grunkle Ford proposed to have Dipper act as an intern for him in Gravity Falls, needless to say, Dipper was over the moon to hear this news. However, Mabel had caught wind of this proposal and grew angry and hurt over this proposition that she inadvertently summoned Bill Cipher himself, and soon enough, the chaos-bringing deity himself wrought insanity and destruction to Gravity Falls.

Of course, Mabel only did it so that she wouldn't be separated from her twin brother, but her mind and heart had been clouded up by selfishness, which lead to the most nightmarish event the twins have and will even face for the rest of their natural-born lives.

' _She probably only wanted me to stay so she can boss me around and make fun of me like she always does…_ ' he grumbled bitterly in his mind.

Although there _can_ be times where Mabel did mean well, she was still prone to jealousy, pettiness, and being headstrong. There were days that Dipper honestly didn't know if she was being the load to him, or if _he_ was being that to _her_. Either way, all these times where Mabel's passive and selfish demeanor began to fill his mind with negative thoughts.

Trying to shake away all these emotions for the time being, Dipper rubbed his temples and kept walking to his next class. Still, he had only one last thing in mind. Seeing as he knows _how_ he can get back to Oregon, how would he get there without sparking fear and concern towards his family?

He knew somewhere in his heart he couldn't straight up run away and even with his emotions and mindset all in a tizzy, he must at least cover his tracks as not to arouse suspicion. As he headed closer to his classroom, he looked around the halls to see if something might help him out with his plight.

On one side of the walls close by his classroom, he noticed something that caught his attention. It was a large bulletin board used to hang up upcoming school events and trips for the students and staff. Many colorful posters and flyers were strung up promoting events and such.

Dipper then carefully eyed the board with mild interest. Maybe something might help him with an excuse to leave?

That was when he saw something to help him out in some way. A pink poster with the caption in bold, white letters

 **WANT TO DO WELL IN CLASS AND HAVE FUN ALL AT ONCE?**

 **WHY NOT SET UP A STUDY SLEEPOVER WITH YOUR FRIENDS!**

 **PLAN CLASS-RELATED ACTIVITIES THAT PUTS THE "FUN" IN "FUNDAMENTAL"!**

The poster was meant to be one of those innocent "motivational"-type messages to encourage students to combine fun and studying into one, but to the rest of the student body, it came across as a cringey and tryhard-ish way to get kids to study more. However, this gave Dipper an idea on how to use it as an excuse to leave Piedmont and return back to Gravity Falls!

Maybe he could use an idea like this to try and whip up an excuse to sneak out California without raising suspicion from his folks and he could travel back to his "home" like he wanted. It was almost too good to be true for the young brunette.

He hadn't time to think about that for now, as he had to get to class before his teacher would catch her absence.

' _One way or another…_ ' he thought bravely, ' _If I'm going to Gravity Falls, then I'm going to Gravity Falls…if it's the last thing I do..._ '

* * *

Meanwhile, Mabel was walking towards her class as well. With the thought of hoping to find out what's bothering Dipper still fresh in her mind, she hoped to see if Edward may clue into what had happened to cause his outburst yesterday. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the preppy heir as of yet, which made her anxiety spike higher than before.

She turned a corner through another hallway, passing through other students and teachers surrounding her in hopes to find who she was looking for. However, she did manage to find two familiar-looking boys down the hall.

The blonde and redhead boys from before were standing about, getting ready to head off to their next class for the day. Mabel recognized these two kids as they tended to hang around Edward in some classes and at lunch. They were more quieter and more reluctant to join in on Edward's smug and boastful merry-making, but Mabel decided that maybe they might have a clue as to why Edward confronted Dipper. She ran and carefully pushed her way through the sea of students until she managed to catch up to the duo.

"Excuse me! You guys!? Hello!?" she called out, waving her sweater-clad arms around. The redhead looked up and noticed Mabel's frantic appearance.

"Is that girl...calling for us?" he asked to his blonde cohort, who in question, looked towards the direction of the brunette girl sifting through the crowd towards them.

"I think so?" asked the blonde curiously. Finally, Mabel caught up to them. She panted and dusted off her pink unicorn sweater.

"Phew! E-Excuse me. Sorry to bother ya guys, but you guys know Edward Viscount, right?" she questioned. The duo gave her confused looks.

"Unfortunately…" shrugged the redhead tiredly, "Why? What's wrong?"

Mabel took in a deep breath. "W-Well…" she stammered shyly, "let's just say that he had a run-in with my brother Dipper yesterday…"

As soon as the name Dipper exited her mouth, the two boys went wide-eyed and stunned for a split second.

"Wait a minute!? When did this happen!?" asked the blonde kid.

"Sometime after lunch…" explained Mabel, "Apparently Edward was picking on him in the first floor men's room!"

The two boys gave Mabel sympathetic looks and looked quite downcast and worried themselves. "I guess that explains why Pines was sprinting down the halls so fast…" murmured the redhead. Mabel's eyes grew big as well.

"You guys noticed, too?" she asked upsettingly. The two kids nodded.

"We saw him running down the halls yesterday. We were actually hoping to apologize to him, but he straight up ignored us." explained the redhead.

Mabel tilted her head. "Apologize?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, I mean, we honestly didn't do anything to him, but we wanted to try and apologize to him for Edward's behavior, you know…" admitted the blonde boy.

"We only hang around Viscount to try and get noticed by the other students, since he's so rich and popular, but instead he sees us as his lackeys more than his friends. We don't really partake in his boasting and whatnot…" the redhead added, rubbing his arm and giving Mabel an embarrassed look. Mabel gave the two a pitiful frown.

"Aww...I'm sorry, you two…" she apologized softly. As much as she wanted to hug the two to make them feel better, she still focused on her own task at hand. She straightened herself out and cleared her throat.

"So...you guys don't know what Edward said or did to Dipper then?" she questioned in a soft, hurt tone. Much to her grief, the boys shook their heads sadly.

"Afraid not…" answered the blonde. "Edward left us sometime after he tripped Dipper in the lunchroom and all we saw after lunch was Dipper through the halls…"

Mabel gulped and trembled on her feet. Her hopes to find a way to discover the source of Dipper's depression were wearing thin. Without any idea where Viscount is, she didn't know what else to do anymore. Luckily, one of the boys gave her a helpful tip before Mabel could lose her mind.

"We do know what his last class of the day is though…" offered the redhead helpfully.

Just like that upon hearing that one statement, a relieved and excited smile spread across Mabel's rosy face, as if the angels above blessed her with some sliver of hope in her time of need.

"You do!?" she squealed hopefully, "What is it!?"

"His last class is his earth science course with Mr. Simmons. It's on the third floor nearby that old science lab that closed down…" put in the blonde boy.

Mabel squeed and felt her determination skyrocket yet again. She immediately brought the two boys in a quick bear hug, much to their shock and confusion.

"THANK-YOU-THANK-YOU- _THANK-YOU!_ " she cheered gratefully, "Ohh, this is perfect! Now I can see what's wrong with Dipper!" She then released the hug and was ready to sprint back to her next class.

"Thanks, guys! I really appreciate it!" she thanked the duo with a cheerful wave as she was now flying out of the hallway, the spring in her step having finally returned. The two boys blushed brightly from Mabel's spontaneous affection and returned her wave, shell-shocked and silent.

"...A-Anytime…" gulped the blonde kid as they watched Mabel round a bend out of the hallway and was now out of sight.

The redhead was the first to shake away his bashfulness as he looked towards the dazed blonde with a serious look.

"...Maybe we could try and help her out…" he offered. The blonde looked curiously at his friend.

"How?" he asked. The redhead suddenly grew more determined.

"We should try and report this to the principal...tell him at some point that Viscount did something to provoke Dipper and cause him to have that outburst…" stated the redhead. His blonde friend looked at his friend as if he grew two heads.

"You mean, we're gonna be _snitching!?_ " he cried surprisedly.

"Well, what choice do we have?" countered the redhead, to which the blonde replied with stunned silence, "Now, c'mon, we got biology class…"

The two kids promptly left for class, hoping to find a window and put _their_ own plan into action soon.

Meanwhile, Mabel Pines speed-walked down the halls and to her class with fresh rejuvenation. Now, she can find out the meaning behind Dipper's pain, and whether or not Edward shall be compliant or not, she was going to get answers.

She was going to help her brother and set things right for once.

' _Don't worry, bro-bro...I'm gonna help you out with this...I'm gonna be there for you…_ '

* * *

Classes went by quickly for the day as the final bell had soundly rang across the school halls, meaning that the long-awaited weekend has finally arrived! To the rest of the school's populace, they used this time to pack up their belongings to get ready for two days of homework and relaxation. But for Mabel, this little pocket of free time meant she could find Edward Viscount III without trouble, and find out what he did to Dipper yesterday.

She managed to job up three flights of stairs and had glided down each hall and corridor that led to where Edward's science class. Her breath was heavy and her skinny limbs were aching, but she didn't care. She wanted answers and she was gonna get them.

By sheer luck, she spotted a certain orange-haired, preppy-looking tween exit his classroom. As not to gain any suspicion or attention, she calmed down her running cycle and caught up with Edward, just as he was now walking away from Mabel.

"Excuse me, Eddie! Eddie!? Eddie!" cried Mabel obnoxiously, in hopes to grab his attention. Edward heard that nickname and shuddered in disgust, nearly dropping his books and supplies from his hands.

"I beg your pardon, you sweater-donning banshee!?" huffed Edward, turning around to spot Mabel trailing behind him, "My name is _Edward_ Winston Viscount the Third, future heir to the Viscoun-"

"Yeah-yeah-yeah, blah-blah-blah…" jabbered Mabel back, too tired to listen to his bragging, "Listen, I have a bone to pick with you…"

Edward scoffed at the brown-haired girl's apparent rudeness and rolled his eyes. "Oh, how droll. What could _you_ have to say to a refined gentleman like moi?" he hummed in a uncaring tone. Mabel sniffed crossly.

"I could say that you're a big, ol', brother-hating, fancy-pants bully, I could say that for sure!" she countered. Edward felt the urge to snicker at that pathetic excuse of an insult.

"Oh...I'm _quaking_ in my designer shoes…" he droned sarcastically, a smug smirk on his face. Mabel wasn't finished yet, however.

"Don't play dumb with me, Captain Prissy-pants!" she snapped, "What did you do to cause Dipper to cry yesterday!?"

Edward simply snorted. "I didn't do nothing to that wide-eyed sadsack of a sibling of yours." he denied in a smarmy tone, "It's his fault for being such a lily-livered crybaby to being with!"

Mabel's face grew red. "He's _not_ a coward!" she ventured, "He's my bro and I love him!"

Edward chuckled condescendingly. "Oh, I'm _sure_ you would…" he mused mockingly, "Only a shrill, brace-faced commoner like _you_ would genuinely love an awkward child like Dipstick!"

Mabel stood her ground and bared her teeth. Now this was getting personal "Don't call him that name!" she growled, "He's got enough problems than to have a jerk like you beating him up all the time!" Edward snorted once again.

"Me? Beat him up? Child, I am a gentleman, not a barbarian. I may not resort to fisticuffs like the rest of these low-class hooligans, but I still know who belongs on top, and who belongs on bottom...and from where I see it, you and _Dipstick_ belong on the latter…"

At this point, Mabel looked almost ready to resort to punching the gloating heir squarely in the jaw, but because she didn't want to lose her cool in front of him and not to arouse the attention of any teachers, she managed to calm herself and inhale sharply before she could have a meltdown.

"Look, Edward, I know you and I aren't the closest thing to being friends, but please...I just wanna help Dipper out! I need to know why he's hurting..." she said, almost sounding like she was ready to beg. Edward, naturally, wasn't that interested.

"Well, then, speak to _him_ then! He's _your_ brother after all!" he sniffed with an eye roll. Mabel tensed up again.

"I tried, but he won't open up to me or to our parents!" she cried, her statement falling onto deaf ears.

"Well then, I guess that's _your_ problem!" he groused, picking up his belongings and turning his heel, "He's the one being all mopey and homesick, so maybe you should have a more acute sense of communication then, darling!"

Mabel's frown deepened. Her face was a cocktail mixture of anger, grief, sadness, and hopelessness. She kept her gaze at Edward as he was prepping himself to leave.

"Ugh, I have no time for this nonsense. If you'll excuse me, Pines, my chauffeur is waiting for me out front. I suggest you partake in your departure as well…" he explained in a bored, tired voice.

And with that being said and done, Edward walked down the hall leading towards the stairs, leaving behind a glum, lost Mabel in his wake, her interrogation falling flat and her hopes dashed.

* * *

Sometime later as both Dipper and Mabel had finally reached home, both twins' minds were racing with thoughts, both struggling with a battle of their own. Dipper was at his desk in his shared bedroom, trying to piece together his escape plan as coherently as he could try and make it. Mabel was doing homework at the kitchen table, more focused on Viscount's passive nature and how to find out Dipper's problem to even think about doing her homework.

For Dipper, with the bus to Oregon scheduled for tomorrow, he knew he had to think of something good and fast to make it seem like his escape would be undetectable. However, there was one flaw in his plan.

If he was going to go through with this idea, he'd have to stay in Gravity Falls for only the weekend instead of forever as planned. Had he stayed there for more than two days, his parents and sister would arouse their worry and would most likely call in a search party to try and find him again. Plus, he couldn't spend _every_ weekend at Gravity Falls until next summer came around!

Poor Dipper's tired mind was going into maximum overdrive at this point right now. The normally-clever and innovative Pines twin was so caught up in trying to leave Piedmont that with his brain all cluttered up with hopes to go back to the Falls, that he could barely form a coherent plan from under all of this stress and temptation.

All these thoughts and desires had really taken a toll on Dipper's psyche and moral outlook.

As of now, he decided to try and sort-of wing it for now. He managed to think about using the sleepover idea for part of his escape plan, as to sneak away for a day or two without trouble, and even though he still hadn't thought about how to stay in Gravity Falls for after that, he prayed to find some sort of miracle or answer later tonight.

Still, Dipper thought internally, anything would be better than staying here and being a laughingstock for all eternity.

With nothing else good to think up, Dipper thought it was best to just roll with it for now and see where it goes tomorrow. With the bus tomorrow leaving at 3:00 in the afternoon, he could probably leave the house around noon-ish, then sit around outside to wait for his bus, and set off back to paradise without warranting attention.

"Dipper, sweetie! Dinner's ready!" came the call of their mother from downstairs.

Dipper sighed and mentally tried to jazz himself up. If he was going to leave this drab suburban city to make it back to Oregon in once piece, it was now or never. He got up from his desk, sighed, and put on the biggest, most convincing smile he'd ever shown to anyone ever, and made his way downstairs, trying not to let his nervousness show for once.

* * *

"So...you're having a...study sleepover with a friend over the weekend?"

Dipper gulped down his soup as his father confusedly repeated back his statement. He could feel the perplexed and curious stares of his parents burning a hole in his mind, his nerve-wracked tendencies getting more out of whack than normal. Even Mabel couldn't help but to give a sideways look to her twin.

Still, Dipper kept up his charade as best as he could. "Yep! Group of friends invited me to spend the weekend at one of their houses!" he assured calmly, "Nothin' but studying and fun between us!"

Knowing she'd be kicking herself if she didn't ask this question sooner, Mabel took the initiative to intervene. "Well, who invited you? Is it someone we know?" she asked, trying not to sound suspicious.

Dipper gulped and brainstormed as fast as he could. Naturally, Dipper wasn't as popular as his more upbeat and sociable twin, meaning that his supply of friends at school was as dry and lacking in comparison to Mabel's amount of friends. Either way, he still had to think on his feet.

"A...new student in my science class invited me actually. Says he's hopin' to make some new friends, so he wanted to know if I can have a study hangout over this weekend…" explained Dipper through his false smile. Mabel squinted her eyes.

"Hmmm, well, what's this kid's name?" she ventured carefully. Dipper mentally cursed in his mind at Mabel's overly-curious demeanor and still had his big (albeit nervous) smile plastered on his sweating face.

"Uh...Ronnie, yeah...Ronnie...R-Richardson...yep, Ronnie Richardson's his name!" assured Dipper with a nod, "He was a transfer from a school in...Emeryville. Just started classes here last week…"

"And he's settin' up this study date for the _whole_ weekend?" asked Jason curiously, sipping his soup as well.

Dipper nodded in confirmation. "Yes indeed-y!" he chirped. However, Mabel still didn't seem convinced over this.

"Mm...I think I've would have known a Ronnie Richardson that went to this school. Normally, I get a chance to meet a ton of new students…" she murmured. Dipper was starting to get tired of Mabel nosing in on this conversation, but he still succeeded in keeping his composure and story intact.

"He's kinda shy." he explained simply to her, "He's doing this as a means to make new friends is all…"

Although his tone wasn't meant to sound harsh and cold, it still sounded that way to Mabel, leaving the female twin in slink down in on her seat, her eyes dropping down on her own bowl of chicken soup as Dipper finished his proposal.

"So...I just wanted to ask your permission if I may go?"

Jason and Kristen gave Dipper quizzical looks. Dipper wasn't really invited to many parties or get-togethers, compared to Mabel, so the prospect of having him go out to a weekend stay-over with friends slightly caught them off-guard.

Still, they figured that this may be the kind of thing Dipper needs to help himself out of his unexplained funk: social interaction.

After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, the parents soon came up with their final say on this idea.

"Very well, son...you may go…" came the approval from his father.

Dipper smiled in relief at the sound of this, but his folks weren't finished yet.

"However," stated Jason sternly, "Just please take your cell phone with you in case anything goes wrong, and we also expect a call from you tomorrow in the evening to check up on you…"

Dipper nodded at his father's statement. "Yes, sir...of course, sir…" he agreed, in spite of his jitters.

"And that you also return sometime on Sunday evening. You still have school on Monday morning, you know…" reminded Kristen carefully.

Dipper's voice hitched upon hearing that suggestion, knowing fully well that he wasn't intending to return at all, but he still tried to follow with his parents' words regardless.

"Yes, ma'am…" was all he said. Jason and Kristen looked at each other and nodded in confirmation.

"Alright then...I suppose that's it then…" Jason said finally. Dipper sighed internally, thankful that the worst was over for now. He got up from his chair and gave each parent a quick, grateful hug.

"Thanks, guys!" he replied in a soft, relieved tone, releasing the hug. He then turned his heel and walked up to Mabel, giving her a hug as well.

Mabel was somewhat stunned at his sudden, affectionate embrace, but didn't argue or back away as she returned the hug too. She desperately wanted to ask Dipper again what was wrong, but her throat nearly ran dry from grief, preventing her to utter a word.

However, when Dipper pulled back from the hug, he looked into Mabel's eyes and gave her the most convincingly-comforting smile he could muster.

"...I know you're upset, Mabel...but trust me, this is something that'll help me out...this is something I have to do…" he assured, rubbing her arm softly. Mabel began to sniffle.

"Are you sure, bro?" she asked pitifully, "There can be another way to help cheer ya up!"

Dipper simply nodded. "I'm sure...after this, you won't have to worry about me anymore."

And with that cryptic message said, Dipper let go of Mabel, headed out of the kitchen, and went back upstairs to prepare for tomorrow, leaving behind his worrisome family in silence.

As dusk fell and slowly turned to night, Dipper felt blissfully to sleep for once, elated that he'll finally be able to see his Gravity Fall brethren once again as intended. He kept his stitched-together letter nestled in his hands, as if to protect it as if it was his only child.

However, across from his bed, I'm sorry to say that Mabel wasn't exactly having a decent night's sleep herself. She still wasn't sure if Dipper was being honest with his sleepover plan over this weekend or not. As much as she still wanted to ask him again about all this or if he's doing okay, she knew she'll still be given the same answer as before.

' _Nothing's the matter, everything's fine…_ '

On one hand, she could be happy that Dipper is finally branching out and making new friends, but given his glum attitude lately, she still wasn't sure how to feel. Heck, she never even heard of a Ronnie Richardson before, though granted Mabel didn't exactly know _everybody_ that goes to school, despite her friendly persona.

In the end, Mabel decided to try and get some sleep before she winds up becoming crazed to the point of insomnia. As much as she did genuinely want to help her brother, nothing seemed to be working out well, and unbeknoswt to her, time was running out...

* * *

The inevitable day had finally arrived.

Dipper had gotten his backpack filled with his essentials that morning. He packed an extra set of clothes, his toothbrush, and other small toiletries, and he broke into his piggybank to scour for cash for his bus. Thankfully, he had enough to pay for the trip at least going to Oregon.

Considering that he wasn't able to fit his books into his already-crammed backpack, he carefully hid the books away under his bed out of sight, as if he already took them with him. It's not like he'll _need_ them again, right?

As it was sometime after 12:00 in the afternoon, Dipper hiked up his backpack and made sure everything was secured. Thankfully, his mom and dad didn't work on the weekends, so Kristen was able to drive home to his "friend's house", so that he can sneak away and head for the bus stop well before it was due to arrive.

With everything now prepped and ready to go, Dipper grabbed the next essential item for his trip. Shuffling quickly through his backpack, he snagged this particular item and gazed at it longingly. His letter from the Falls.

The letter was still barely held together with staples and tape, the page all wrinkly from the dried tear smears, but it still mattered not to Dipper. Soon, he'll be back home once again…

Gathering all his things and storing his letter in his shorts pocket, he glided downstairs and met up with his parents and a fretful Mabel in the main living room. He took in a deep breath and prepared himself for the biggest moment of his young life as he stepped down from the stairs, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Well, guys...I'm ready…" he declared.

"Do you have everything you need for the weekend?" Jason asked. Dipper nodded with a small smile.

"Yes, sir…" he answered. He then went up to him and gave him a hug for old time's sake, something that slightly caught Jason off-guard, but he still slowly returned the hug shortly after.

After a half-minute of hugging, Dipper came towards Mabel, who looked at her brother with unsure, worrisome eyes. Dipper tensed up at seeing his twin look so heartbroken, to the point where he nearly felt himself choke up at seeing her big, sad eyes, but he quickly composed himself and tried to keep going through with his task at hand.

' _It's for the best, old boy...it's for the best…_ '

Without another word, he too gave Mabel a big, loving hug, and held on as tightly as he could. Mabel graciously and greedily returned the gesture, leaving the two twins quietly embracing each other like it'll be the last hug they'll share…

...although in Dipper's case, it may as well be.

The hug kept on for a good five minutes until they both finally released each other and looked into their eyes. It wasn't until then when Mabel decided to break the silence.

"I love you, bro-bro...I gonna miss you so much…"

Dipper gulped and without realizing it, he felt a single tear flow freely down his left cheek. This may probably be the last time he'll see Mabel in a long while. He was actually going to go through with the plan, and while he had no intentions of stopping, there was still something about seeing the hurt and lost expression on Mabel's regularly-sunny face that tugged at Dipper's heartstrings.

Even so, he couldn't bear to stay in Piedmont forever and to continue being a load or a mockery anymore. Like he said, it was for the better.

Dipper finally mustered the gall to answer back to Mabel. "...I-I...I...I love you, t-too, Mabel...I'm g-gonna miss you, too…"

He then gave Mabel a soft kiss on her cheek and gave her another hug, this one being shorter than the last one, but Mabel still embraced him back, as if to try and keep him in her arms forever.

But still, hugs could only last for long until it was time for Dipper to depart. He let go of Mabel's tight grip and took in a brave, deep breath as he looked towards his mom, who already had her fall jacket on and her car eyes in her hand.

With the time to leave now upon them all, Dipper readied himself and slowly followed his mother out the door and towards his destiny. He stopped at the front doorway, looking back at his father and sister for the last time.

He waved goodbye and in a sad, meek tone, he replied "See you guys…". Jason and Mabel returned the wave.

"See you soon, son. Hope you have fun…" said Jason. Mabel didn't say anything, the somber look on her face said enough words as of now.

So, without another word, Dipper headed out the door and entered the family sedan with Kristen, all ready to go. Mabel skittered towards the front window to see them off, looking upset beyond recognition.

She watched as the car reserved out of the driveway and soon slowly drove off out of the neighborhood and was nearing away from the house. Mabel, with a heartbroken look, pressed her hand against the window and felt the urge to let her tears flow, knowing that she failed to find out the source of Dipper's depression.

"Dipper…" was all that she could utter, before Dipper's presence was fully out of her sight.

* * *

The weather was still cloudy and brisk outside. Very tiny spots of blue sky had been to show through the grayness above, but it still wasn't enough to produce any natural sunlight. Dipper stared at the sky though the driver's seat of the family sedan as he helped guide his mother to his location through the streets of Piedmont.

They had left their neighborhood and made their way towards downtown, driving past the middle school and city hall. Soon enough, the car stopped close to a row of small houses nearby the main road, exactly where Dipper's "sleepover" were to be held.

A few feet away from the houses on one side of the block was a bus stop where the bus to Oregon was slated to stop by.

Dipper sighed breathlessly, not thinking he'd get far with this plan, but was too excited and too blind-sighted to care as he kept his backpack in-hand.

"This is the house your friend Ronnie is holding this little event?" she asked, pointing to a yellow, two-story house close by. Dipper nodded.

"Yep." he said simply. The sedan came to a stop by the curb nearby the aforementioned house. Dipper unbuckled his seat and opened the door to get ready to depart.

"Well, I'll see you later then…" sighed Dipper to his mother. Kristen, noticing his melancholy tone, reached over and gave Dipper a soft, loving hug.

"Okay, sweetie. Just try and have fun…" she said softly, giving him a squeeze from the driver's seat, "I love you, my baby boy…"

Dipper blushed at Kristen's motherly affection and returned the hug, knowing fully well this'll be the last hug he'll give his mom for a while. Still, even within his mother's caring grasp, he wanted to pursue this goal as is.

"I love you, too, Mom…" replied Dipper in an equally-softer voice, trying to savor the hug as if it were his last.

The two held each other for a good five minutes before Kristen sweetly kissed Dipper's cheek and let go of him. Dipper then got out of the car with his belongings as Kristen was soon ready to head back home.

Dipper turned around and waved goodbye to his mother, a sad smile on his face. Kristen waved and smiled sadly back, before Dipper slowly turned around and walked towards his "friend's" house, right as Kristen drove away from the curb.

As she drove down the street, Kristen looked through the sideways mirror of her car to look at Dipper now at the front of the house. She sighed to herself and hoped that this would be best for him.

"Oh, Mason...I hope you find peace and happiness once again…" she murmured gently as she turned a corner and was soon out of sight.

Back in front of the house, Dipper caught sight of the sedan having now been long gone and was ready to take action. He scampered away from the house, as not to get detected, and carefully strolled his way to the bus stop. The stop had a small canopy area with a bench, so Dipper found it easy to try and conceal himself until the bus was to arrive.

He sat on the bench and placed his backpack alongside him, eagerly awaiting his chariot to Nirvana. In spite of his nervousness and the fact that he was actually managing to get this far in his plan, he tried to keep himself calm and to remind himself that this is what is best for both him and for his family.

No more shall he be a burden to his family. No longer will he be a joke to his classmates. This was Dipper needed to do and by God, he was gonna do it.

' _It will all be worth it soon…_ '

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the Pines household, Mabel was in her and Dipper's bedroom, with only Waddles keeping her company. She cradled her beloved swine while sitting on her bed, looking towards the empty bed of her twin brother with a regretful, forlorn frown.

With Dipper long gone at his friend's house, she was still trying to piece together any bit of information she tried to get out of Edward from yesterday, but nothing seemed to connect.

' _He's the one being all mopey and homesick…_ ' Why would he be homesick? This is our hometown, she thought. Her interrogation with Edward hadn't gone as well as she wished for and now her positivity and hope reflecting this situation was dwindling on a thread at this point.

She exhaled somberly and laid down on her bed, looking down at her obvious pet as she rubbed his fuzzy backside. "Ohh...what am I gonna do, Waddles? My parents and I tried opening up to Dip, but he keeps pushing us away...and now he'll be gone for a whole weekend…"

She laid back down and held Waddles in her arms, hoisting the pig high above her. "...How can I make it up to my brother again? To prove that maybe... _maybe_ I can be a good sister?"

Waddles tilted his head and snorted confusedly at his owner's strange, sullen behavior. Mabel sighed and her eyes drooped sadly. She let Waddles back onto the bed and picked herself back up, still scratching Waddles' back.

"Mmm...I knew you wouldn't understand…" she sighed softly. She hung her head low. Thankfully, the soft snuggly feeling of Waddles nuzzling against her side was enough to slowly bring a soft smile to Mabel's rosy face.

She giggled a bit as her pet pig's peach fuzz-laded body tickled her softly. "Hee-hee-hee-hee! Okay, okay, ya big silly!" she cooed at Waddles, now scratching Waddles' tummy lovingly. "Who's Mama's good boy? Who is? Who is?"

Waddles squealed and snorted merrily as Mabel kept rubbing his stomach with vigor, wiggling in her arms like a giant infant. Mabel, now starting to feel a bit better, stopped her ticklish onslaught and jumped off of her bed, with Waddles still snuggled contently on it.

She then spotted a tennis ball on her nightstand and picked it up, waving in the air in front of Waddles' snout. Maybe a game of catch might lighten her spirits once again?

"Ya want the ball, boy? Do ya? Who wants the ball?" she cheered, prompting an excited snort from her pig as he bounced on her bed with glee. Mabel lightly tossed the ball to the corner of the room and giggled.

"Go fetch, boy!" she smiled. Waddles immediately tore after the tennis ball and scampered around the room, pushing and bouncing the object with carefree joy. Mabel guffawed at her pet's antics and playfully gave chase after him.

After what felt like an hour of playtime, the fun came to a near close when Mabel bounced the ball around the floor until it slid under Dipper's bed. Thankfully, Waddles was close enough to skid by to retrieve it. He managed to squeeze under his bed and shuffled around to find his ball.

A couple of seconds passed as Mabel waited for Waddles to get the ball. Suddenly, a clatter and a thud rang from under the bed, along with a startled squeal. Mabel grew worried and kneeled down, trying to find Waddles underneath the darkness of under Dipper's bed.

"Waddles?" she called out in concern. A split second later, the tennis ball rolled out from under the bed. Mabel half-expected for Waddles to appear next, but she was shocked and baffled upon seeing what was shown sliding out from under the bed.

A small stack of school textbooks were seen being pushed by Waddles as he shimmied his way out from the crevice, with a math book in his mouth. Mabel stood surprised and silent until she carefully wedge the book from her pig pet's mouth and gazed at it in realization.

"Wait a dang minute...this is _Dipper's_ textbook…" she gasped. She looked towards the other discarded books on the floor, trying to put two and two together. "These are _all_ his textbooks! I thought...he would...need these for his…"

Her mind by now was flooding with unsavory outcomes. If Dipper was going to a study sleepover-type thing, she'd figured he'd need his books. Although there may be a chance he forgot his belongings, she knew Dipper wasn't that careless and was always prepared for anything, be it for school or for anything else.

Suddenly, a thought raced across her mind. ' _Maybe...he left these here on purpose...maybe he's going somewhere else?_ '

If Dipper left behind these books intentionally, maybe there _wasn't_ actually a study sleepover. Could it just be a ploy to try and leave the house unnoticed for the weekend?

Maybe...just maybe...was their the chance he ran away from home?

It was a possibility, and Mabel was too frantic to think otherwise. Expecting the worst of this situation, she gathered up all the books off the floor and flew out of the bedroom, leaving behind a confused Waddles in her wake. She skittered down the stairs, sweating nervously and on the verge of hyperventilation.

"Mom! Dad!" she called worriedly to her folks, trying not to drop any of Dipper's books. "Mom! Dad!"

Her parents, who were both on the couch watching television, noticed their daughter's uneased nature and came up to her in surprise. Mabel stopped and panted as if she ran a 40K marathon.

"Mabel, honey, what's the matter!?" exclaimed Jason. "Are you okay, sweetie?" gasped Kristen.

Mabel swallowed, in spite of her drying throat, and held up Dipper's stack of books in her hands. "Mom! D-Dad! I found these under Dipper's bed!" she cried, "They're his textbooks!"

Jason and Kristen looked towards the familiar books and grew more baffled than worried. "That's strange…" murmured Jason, "It's not like Dipper to be so forgetful…"

Mabel was on the brink of tears. She shivered and tried to keep herself together, but to no avail.

"D-D-Do y-you think he may have...have…"

Mabel nearly sobbed. "Have...r-ran away somewhere?"

Jason and Kristen reeled back in surprise at their daughter's bombshell of a statement, looking so heartbroken and floored as Mabel shuddered and went down on her knees, sobbing quietly. Kristen gently knelt down and carefully placed a motherly hand on her right shoulder.

"Mabel, darling? Why on earth would you think Dipper has run away?" she asked, her tone worrisome and hurt. Mabel sniffled.

"Well, he's b-been so depressed lately, but I have no idea why! I've tried to speak to Edward Viscount yesterday, but I couldn't get _anything_ out from him!" she wailed fearfully, "!...!...I don't know what to do!"

Kristen sensed her daughter's discomfort and let her weep into her own shoulder, gently caressing her back as lovingly as she could. Jason also kneeled down to Mabel's level and placed his own hand on her back, letting Mabel sob until she was about to speak again.

After a few minutes, Mabel looked back up to her concerned parents with teary eyes before her father spoke up.

"Mabel...are you certain Dipper might just run away like that?" beckoned Jason softly, looking into Mabel's sad eyes. Mabel gulped thickly.

"Maybe...p-possibly...I guess...I-I don't know! He's just so upset, and he ain't telling us anything!" whimpered Mabel in an unnaturally-timid and stressed voice. Jason shook his head and let out a worried sigh, but he still rubbed his daughter's back gently.

"Mabel, honey, calm down...everything is gonna be alright…" he assured as fatherly as he could, but all Mabel could do was cry softly in return. Jason then picked up Dipper's books from Mabel's trembling hands and stood back up.

"If it helps, sweetheart, we can all drive over to Dipper's friend's house and we can drop off his books there, to see if he's still there, okay?" he offered kindly.

After a few seconds of sad silence, Mabel nodded feebly, but still looked rather hurt and confused. Kristen wiped away a tear and kissed her forehead, before she got back up and retrieved her car keys.

Soon enough, the trio had gotten into their car and were soon heading out of the driveway and onto the way to Dipper's supposed location. Mabel looked out through the window and gazed into the cloudy sky with a dreading look on her face as they drew nearer to the Piedmont downtown district.

' _Oh, Dipper...please be okay...please still be here…_ '

Jason and Kristen too had noticed Mabel's glum face and looked back at each other with shared worry, praying that Dipper would still be in the city and nothing more.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the bus stop, Dipper was still waiting at the bus anxiously and impatiently. It was nearing 3:00 and he was literally on edge, praying that this bus would get here sooner. Even with the possibility that he was thinking about staying in Oregon once the weekend was over regardless, his desires had spiraled into complete obsession and nothing was deterring him away from his ultimate goal.

His mind was still dead-set on going to Gravity Falls and nothing more.

By now, some more people had also joined around the bus stop, as they too were heading to Oregon. Some did manage to notice Dipper's presence as he crouched himself on the bench, but they all didn't bother to say a word regarding the boy.

Dipper tried to keep his mind preoccupied to try and make time go by faster. He tried thinking about all the fun he'll have back in the Falls, all the new discoveries he'll unearth, and all the friends and family members he'll encounter again as he finally arrived back to his true home. The process of waiting and remembering did work out well as suddenly...

* **HONK-HONK!** *

Dipper looked to the source of that noise and nearly keeled over in awe. A familiar gray and dark green passenger bus came rumbling down the road and towards the stop, the "Speedy Beaver" banner painted proudly on its sides. An equally-familiar portly, middle-aged man with dirty blonde hair was seen behind the wheel as the bus inched to the curb and hissed to a halt.

The doors slid open and the driver soon called out to the waiting people outside. "3:00 bus to Gravity Falls, Oregon!' he proclaimed.

Everyone soon got up and lined up in attention to pay for their fare and to take their seat. Dipper was the last to pick himself up and was at the end of the line of twenty-some people, awaiting to head back to the Falls. With his backpack on and trying not to get his nerves flustered yet again, Dipper took several deep breaths to try and calm himself down, as the line slowly entered the vehicle.

However, just as the bus had arrived, Dipper hadn't counted on another vehicle approaching the area. He hadn't noticed a sedan heading towards the road where he was dropped off at.

And he hadn't noticed who that sedan belongs to as Mr. Pines pulled up to the curb some feet away from the bus stop, with his wife and daughter with him.

Mabel clutched Dipper's books in her hands as Mr. Pines unbuckled his seatbelt, ready to get out of the car. Mabel followed suit as well, shuffling out of the back seat and joining her father to go up to "Ronnie's" house to deliver Dipper's books.

They stepped up on the house's porch and was ready to knock on the door. Mabel looked around, the books still in her hands until she looked to her right and spotted something vaguely-familiar somewhere down the way.

A line of people entering a bus. Normally, this would seem mundane to anyone else, but to Mabel, as she squinted her eyes and tilted her head in curiosity, she could spot a brunette boy at the tail end of the line with a backpack on.

A brunette with a brown, deerstalker cap and a dark blue vest…

After seconds of inspection, Mabel's eyes grew wider than ever before once she noticed who that brunette was. Time seemed to halt in place for her as she saw that boy getting ready to enter onto the bus soon.

"DIPPER!" she cried in shock, surprising her father.

She dropped Dipper's books on the porch and scurried down the stairs, making a beeline towards the bus stop. Jason gasped and tried picking up the books himself.

"Mabel, what are you doing!?" he shouted. Kristen, who just exited from the passenger car seat, saw Mabel dash away too and grew frantic herself.

"Mabel, where are you going!?" she exclaimed, now joining her husband in the pursuit. Mabel didn't answer, she just kept sprinting down the sidewalk and across the other side of the block towards the bus stop as fast as she could, the shape of her brother growing nearer and more clearly.

Back at the stop, Dipper was finally the last one to enter the vehicle as he rummaged in his pocket for his money. The bus driver noticed the oddly-familiar boy get ready to climb up onto the bus and tipped his head in mild confusion.

"Say...I remember ya. Didn't you and your sister also go to Gravity Falls last summer?" he asked curiously. Dipper gulped and nodded back.

"Y-Yep…" he stammered timidly.

The driver tilted his head. "And...she ain't comin' with ya?" he asked again.

Dipper fidgeted and tensed up slightly. He wasn't sure if it was regret, excitement, or fear filling up his mind, but either way, his anxiety went through the roof to the point where Dipper felt the need to faint. But regardless, he was only a step away from finally leaving this judgmental city to go to a place free from discrimination. To finally be free and loved.

However, God had other plans for our young Pines twin...

" _DIPPER!_ "

Before Dipper could register that screeching sound coming from behind him, he found himself tackled hard to the ground by another person. Another person with braces, a flashy sweater, and a broken heart.

Dipper groaned dizzily as Mabel squeezed him hard to the concrete, as if to never let him go ever again. The driver was caught by surprise, and got out of his seat, standing by the doorway to see what was the matter. Dipper tried to wrestle himself out of Mabel's unbearably-harsh grip, but he was too weak to succeed.

A few seconds of struggling had occured before Mabel managed to say something between the two twins.

"Dipper, what the heck are you even doing!?" she demanded, her uncontrollable torrent of tears flowing down her reddening cheeks. Dipper went wide-eyed and found himself at a loss of words. His throat went numb and he began to sweat.

"I...I...uh...I mean…"

"Mabel!? What's going on here!?"

Dipper's heart skipped several beats when he heard another voice, this one being his mother. Sure enough, he turned his head and reeled back in horror as he saw Jason and Kristen running up after Mabel, both looking beyond confused and hectic.

"Mabel, what in the name of all that is holy is going on her-?"

Jason cut himself off once he got a clear look at the person Mabel was pining to the ground. He and Kristen nearly doubled over in pure shock.

"Dipper!?" they both shouted incredulously.

Dipper trembled under Mabel's grasp and still tried to free himself, as if he was going to get mauled, but alas, it was fruitless.

"Why the heck were you going on this bus!?" demanded Jason, his face mixed with anger and confusion.

"Where on earth do you think you're going to!?" stated Kristen, looking ready to cry.

"Dipper, why are you doing this!?" Mabel begged, staring into his eyes with her own.

All Dipper could do at the moment was stammer helplessly to where he could barely form words. However, before he could dig his grave any deeper, the bus driver soon decided to take some course of action.

"Excuse me, is this your son?" asked the driver. Jason looked back at Dipper with slanted eyes and then back at the driver.

"Yes, he is...why?"

The driver tugged at his collar out of awkwardness. "Well, we kinda have a schedule to keep and I have to head off to Gravity Falls to drop off these other passengers, so I wanted to know if he was gonna use the bus or not…"

Jason, Kristen, and Mabel's eyes went wide upon hearing what was said.

"Gravity Falls!?" they all cried in shocked unison. With those words said, Mabel had finally managed to understand what Edward was sort of talking about from yesterday.

' _Homesick? He's...homesick for Gravity Falls!?_ ' She gasped in her mind. Suddenly everything made sense.

Meanwhile, the other passengers in the bus grew cross and impatient that their trip was being delayed. They grumbled and groused in spite of the situation from outside.

"Can we hurry this up!?" snapped a middle-aged woman.

"I have family to see in Oregon, bub!" exclaimed an older gentlemen. The bus driver gulped and retreated back to his seat, knowing he can't stick around for much longer with or without Dipper.

"Uh, oh, um...sorry folks! We'll be heading out right now!" he assured, putting the bus into drive. He reached for the door lever, ready to close it down.

"Sorry, kiddo. Better luck next time…" was all he said, before the doors closed down with a hiss. Then, with a rumble and a roar, the bus to Gravity Falls pulled away from the curb and soon drove down the road, until it was soon out of sight, and out of Dipper's reach.

Dipper got up and watched the bus depart with a terrified look on his face. His plans, his hopes to go back to Oregon were now gone. Unfulfilled and dashed away in the wind.

He reached his arm out, tears building up in his eyes and his body trembling like a leaf. He choked back a sob and slowly fell to his knees, unable to utter a single syllable out of grief.

However, before he could grieve any longer, the sharp and stern sound of his father clearing his throat was enough to shake Dipper back to reality as he turned around to see his family looking straight towards him.

Dipper shivered in fear as his father's disapproved and agitated glare bore a hole through his mind, he felt his eyes water up upon seeing his mother's devastated, weepy face.

And his heart broke into bits as he finally sobered up and saw the lost, heart-torn, and overall traumatized look on Mabel's face as clearly as vividly as he did before, with all the thoughts of him returning to Oregon practically washed away and replaced with unbridled fear.

It was just as evident of his family's emotions when Jason finally broke the overly-tense silence with a quiet, but nearly cold-sounding statement..

"Young man...I think it's time we all had a little talk once we get home…"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **Well, I'm afraid to say that Dipper has officially found out by his family, and now he's up the creek without a paddle, his plans to return to his proper home dashed.**

 **Admittedly, this is the part of writing this story that scares me. While I certainly don't see my stories as A-grade material and while I don't expect thousands of people following my work, I still hope to try and cater to those who are reading my work. I am certainly thankful and grateful for the followers, reviewers, and readers that I have now, so I want to try and make sure this story doesn't cause any waves with the people currently invested in my story.**

 **Like I said, drama isn't really my choice of genre, but I still wanted to try and branch out sort-of, and I still wanted to produce a semi-decent story that maybe somebody would like. And like I've mentioned before regarding Mabel, she is a highly-controversial topic with the fandom in her own right, and while I'm mostly indifferent with her actions (being there are episodes where I tolerate her and there are ones that showcase her flaws), I still hope to try and write her as realistically as she can be. The next chapter is meant to try and give her and Dipper a sort-of redeeming moment, in that on how they'll change their attitudes towards each other.**

 **In the end, I'll leave it to you guys to be the judges, juries, and executioners for this story so far. Sincerest apologies if the story didn't end with Dipper actually leaving for the Falls as you all may have hoped for and if it feels too rushed, forced, unrealistic, etc...**

 **If all goes well, the next chapter should be up in a week or two, so stay tuned for we finally get to the second part of our climax, "The Confrontation". Thanks for reading and I sincerely hope you've enjoyed everything so far.**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	6. Chapter 5: The Confrontation

**So, guys, we did it, we've reached the major climatic chapter of Saudade...and by golly, it's a looooong one!**

 **But firstly, review time!**

 **-New Yorktown:** _ **First of all, I wanna say I'm both thrilled and relieved that you've enjoyed the last chapter. Admittedly, I haven't plan on Dipper**_ **actually** _**leaving Piedmont to begin with, in spite of his overwhelmingly-clouded desires to go back. Still, take solace that the Ford apprenticeship will be brought up a bit during this chapter, friend! :D**_

 **-Ahmed Samy:** _ **In fairness, while I do account this story (as well as my other Wendip stories before this one) takes place in the same continuity as the show as purely headcanon, so Stan and Ford definitely would still be on the Stan O' War at the moment. However, I would think Dipper or Mabel wouldn't have known about their plan to do more cross-country adventuring as of yet. Plus, with Soos now in charge of the Mystery Shack, Dipper would still be able to reside there if he had successfully ran away, regardless if he still had an apprenticeship or not. Sorry for the confusion!**_

 **-Guest:** _ **Don't worry, friend! After this chapter, we'll be getting a not-so-long aftermath chapter and an epilogue to boot! ;)**_

 **Thanks for the reviews so far and I'm glad we've made it this far into the story, cuz' soon, it looks like Dipper has a lot of explaining to do to both his folks and to his sister. Apologies again for the long wait. So for now, sit back and get ready, because the confrontation is now underway!**

 **(Also, hope you all had a great and safe Thanksgiving! :D )**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic for fun).**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **CHAPTER FIVE: THE CONFRONTATION**

The car ride back home couldn't have been more awkward and silent even if it tried to be. Dipper sat in the back seat with his now-irate father behind the wheel. With his attempt to try and run away to Gravity Falls now thwarted, the only thing that was crossing his mind was how much trouble he was in right now, pushing away his desires to go back to the Falls at the moment.

As they slowly drove back to their own home, through the busy and dreary streets of Piedmont, he couldn't help but to clearly notice the unsavory expressions his family was sporting during the drive home.

His mother was quietly sobbing in the passenger seat, trying to keep her composure, but to no avail. His father looked quite irate, looking in need of answers and a good explanation for why this all had to transpire.

But for Dipper, his heart nearly split into two once he got sight of Mabel's heart-wrenchingly devastated face, seeing it clearly for the first time all week. Her downcast eyes, her trembling lips, the way she hugged herself and didn't feel like looking at Dipper at the moment. Dipper had never felt so much guilt wash over him in his young life.

Soon, after what felt like an hour drive to Dipper, the car rolled up to the Pines household and shortly afterwards, the family found themselves exiting the car without a single word and entered back into their abode.

Waddles, who was peacefully napping in the living room, was awoken and startled as the door suddenly opened up to see four miserable-looking family members enter through and immediately head towards the stairwell to proceed with their talk in the twins' bedroom.

The swine snorted confusedly at the family's weird silence and scampered up to Mabel and snuffled softly, hoping to get an answer from her. Unfortunately, Mabel wasn't in a talkative mood right now as she gently shooed him away.

"...Not now, Waddles...we kinda have a serious family discussion going on…" she explained, as she followed her parents upstairs, with a quiet Dipper trailing behind her.

Soon, the four made their way into the bedroom and closed the door behind them, leaving a baffled, yet concerned Waddles downstairs alone.

* * *

Dipper found himself sitting on the edge of his bed, hands folded on his lap and looking at his tired and annoyed father pacing around his room, as if to try and find what words to say about this situation. Kristen was sitting on Mabel's bed, trying to console her daughter in question while also trying to calm herself down in the process.

After a few more tense minutes, Jason took in a breath to attempt to ease his frayed nerves and turned back to Dipper, running a hand through his dark red hair and down his tired face before he managed to finally say something.

"Okay, young man…" he began with a grunt, "You better have a great reason why you were taking a bus back to Oregon…"

Dipper gulped and nearly lost his own voice himself, unsure of how to respond. Part of him wanted to continue denying that he was planning to run away and to not be anymore of a burden to his family anymore. But then, the other part of him just felt it best to simply fess up and try not to cause anymore waves and hassles he had already made this week.

Besides, Dipper figured more lying would lead to more trouble at this point. However, before he could explain his reasoning, Kristen cut in, tears still streaming down her cheeks and her face still looking quite hurt.

"W-Why w-would you even _think_ about running away, M...Ma…?" she hadn't even the strength to call Dipper by his real name, she was _that_ heartbroken. It was enough for Dipper to almost want to cry himself, seeing his mom so devastated after finally clearing his mind from all these desires.

"M-Mom, Dad, p-please! I can explain!" he begged, his body twitching uncontrollably from fear. Jason sighed tiredly and rubbed his temples.

"Well, you better, son!" he demanded crossly, "Did you not see how...how horrified we are when we saw you getting ready to board that bus!?" Dipper gulped again and tried to calm down his father.

"Dad, please, I-"

"You deny to us that something is up at school, you avoid confrontation with us since you've returned home this fall, and _now_ you straight up lie to us about meeting a friend to try and sneak out of the state!?" exclaimed Jason, still pacing around the room and still looking very much peeved. Dipper stammered in fright, his own nerves shot as well.

"Dad, I can expla-"

"I mean, were you even _thinking_ about returning back to Piedmont again!?" stated Jason, "What if something bad happened and we couldn't have reached you, huh!? You've would have been all the way in Oregon without us knowing!"

At this point right now, Dipper's emotions were soon spiraling out of control. Hearing his father angrily berate him was enough to cause the young boy to want to just wail and plead for forgiven on the spot, but he knew making a sense wouldn't help in his case.

"Plus, where were you even planning to stay at? You hardly have any money and I'm pretty sure Stan probably wouldn't rent out that rundown shack to let you stay there 24/7! For all I'd know, he'd probably try and mooch you or make you do crime sprees or something!" ranted Jason with a groan, rubbing his temples out of agitation.

Dipper grimaced slightly at that last part, to where he even noticed Mabel join him as she tugged at her sweater collar nervously.

Since he and Mabel promised not to mention the more life-threatening and insane sections of their summer to their parents (lest their folks hear about them fighting off supernatural beings and the twins wind up being barred from going back to Oregon altogether), they also hadn't revealed about the little tidbit regarding the situation with both Grunkles Stanley and Stanford.

Basically, both parents still thought both their identities were switched and the twins were completely unsure on how to tell them the truth...

Still, all Dipper could do was tremble and stutter on his bed before he heard another voice bring itself into the conversation.

A voice that hasn't spoke up that much until now…

"...Dipper…?" Mabel simply asked, her voice as quiet and soft as a dove.

Dipper tried to control his shaking long enough to give his attention to Mabel, looking over to see her gaze at Dipper with big, sad, lost eyes. Kristen still continued to rub her back softly as Jason had finally stopped pacing and ranting to let Mabel take the stage.

A few more quiet seconds ticked by until Mabel spoke again.

"...Dipper...why did you run away?" she managed to ask out finally.

Dipper's frown twitched as he kept biting his lip. Incoming tears pricked his eyelids. His overflowing dreams to return to his own proclaimed home in Gravity Falls had helped to cause his downfall, his selfishness clouding up his moral compass to the point of losing track of reality.

In layman's terms, he dug up his own grave...and now he's lying in it as we speak.

Still, he knew more lying will only lead to even more trouble, but with his brain fried, his heart shattered, and his nerves beyond shot, the only answer Dipper could come up with was lost in incoherency as Dipper found himself openly sobbing out of grief, warm tears streaking down his red cheeks.

The others, who were still keeping their attention on Dipper, looked in mild surprise at Dipper resorting to crying. Normally, despite of his demure and awkward personality, he wasn't much of a cryer, unless if he was well-and-truly provoked, but while he did seem genuinely upset over all of this, they still had to be firm and stern regardless.

Kristen gazed sadly at seeing Dipper look so distressed and hurt, almost wanting to coddle him and to help dry away his tears, even after the stress he caused to her and the others early this afternoon. Jason, while still very unpleased with what Dipper was planning to do, did find his anger slightly diminish from seeing Dipper sincerely cry, but he still kept a stern face and still wanted answers.

As for Mabel, her own sadness only spiked when she saw Dipper uncontrollably cry right there on the spot.

'... _oh, Mabel_ …' she thought glumly to herself, ' _You've_ really _screwed the pooch this time, huh?_ '

Unable to stand seeing Dipper express his sadness any longer, she got up from her bed and out of the mother's comforting hug, scampered straight towards her sobbing twin brother, hopped onto his bed right next to him, and without a word, immediately brought him into the most loving, tightest, most protective hug she had ever given anyone, family member or not.

This had clearly caught Dipper off his guard, as he didn't expect any form of sympathy during his punishment, but still, he took it for what it was and greedily returned Mabel's embrace, as if it was the last hug he'll ever receive from anyone.

He still kept sobbing and nearly choked on his words, still trying to form a decent sentence, until Kristen decided to speak up herself.

"Son, _please_ , we just want to know what made you want to run away back to Gravity Falls." said Kristen gently, wiping away the last of her own tears from her eyes.

Dipper sniffled and tried to swallow the lump in his throat, unable to bottle up anymore emotions for any longer as he still kept his face buried in Mabel's shoulder, still sobbing his heart out until he finally mustered the strength to give them all an answer.

"B-Because what's the point in s-staying in P-Piedmont if I'm just gonna be a n-nobody…?" he choked out, his anguish shown as clear as day.

By then, Jason and Kristen reeled back in surprise when that bombshell of an answer spewed out of Dipper's mouth. Kristen almost felt another wave of tears getting ready to build up again in her systems and Jason nearly forgot to act strict and cross at Dipper, his face now a mix of fatherly sternness and genuine concern for his son.

The one who reacted more horrified to this answer was Mabel as those words were enough to immediately release her hug around Dipper's waist and looked at him with genuinely-shocked eyes, gasping loudly in return. The family stared at the heartbroken brunette boy in stunned silence before Jason was able to find his voice.

"Dipper, what are you saying by 'if you're gonna be a nobody'?" he asked, his own emotions all a-fluster right now.

Dipper took in the deepest breath he ever inhaled and tried to darndest to calm himself mentally. Then, gathering all his strength as not to break down again, he answered his father's through a clearly, but slightly croaky-sounding voice.

"W-Well, think about it…" began Dipper, "It's not like the most popular one between me and Mabel…" He gestured towards his sister, in which Mabel in question started to feel a wash of oncoming guilt plague her system as Dipper continued on.

"I mean, when I arrived first arrived in Gravity Falls, I managed to actually make friends there...compared of when I tried to make friends here...people understood me back in the Falls and treated me as an equal…" Dipper paused to take in another breath, trying not to let his nerves get the better of him.

He shuddered out a sigh before he continued again. "Here, the kids at school only see me as nothing but a nerd or a wimp. I try to be a nice guy to them, show them respect, but they never see me as one of their own…but at Gravity Falls, I could be free...I could explore and be able to express myself without judgment…"

Then, in a lower, sadder tone. "Where I wouldn't be a burden to anyone…" he murmured to himself, thinking his family wouldn't have heard him..

However, Dipper saw that the shell-shocked look on his whole family's faces, with their slack-jawed expressions and surprise-laced eyes being enough reason that _they_ did hear him. Dipper winced at seeing their terrified appearances, especially when Kristen got up from Mabel's bed and immediately wrapped Dipper in a comforting, motherly embrace.

Kristen squeezed her son as tightly as she could, leaving Dipper gasping for air in-between her hug. Jason stood by with a largely-confused and concerned look, trying to process of all of this at once. Mabel, on the other hand, only sat on the bed in ashamed silence, her guilt slowly building up in her like a dam blocking away water.

Once again, Jason came up to Dipper and managed to secure his voice again to speak after a minute of silence

"Son, why would you consider yourself a burden?" he asked in a more softer voice, "You're our son!"

Kristen sniffled within her son's embrace. "You're father's right, dear. How ever could you ever see yourself as a burden?" she lamented, before trying her best to choke back a sob.

Then, in a soft, hurt voice, she said to Dipper, "Don't you love us?"

Dipper felt his breath hitch at hearing such a loaded question, but kept his composure as straight as he could.

"O-Of course I love you!" he exclaimed honestly, "I love you and Dad…and I love Mabel very much as well!" He said the last statement looking towards Mabel, who in turn just gave him an unsure look, as if she wasn't sure if he meant that "I love you" or not.

But still, Kristen only frowned upon hearing that. "Then why would you run away back to Oregon then!?" she croaked out, as if she was begging for the answer. Dipper winced at her heartbroken message and tried to steady himself.

"I...I just felt that...you all would've been better off without me…" admitted Dipper in a hushed tone.

Jason sighed softly. He sat down on the bed next to Dipper and looked at him squarely in the eye. Dipper looked back in his father's eyes as well, seeing that while he still showed the type of sternness only a father could, he could still see a glint of sadness and sincere care that he still wanted to help his son to try and see that he still is loved.

"Son," started Jason softly, "There is no way we could consider you as a burden. No matter what happens, we all still love you…" Kristen nodded.

"Indeed…" she agreed. Then, she managed to give Dipper a wistful, tender smile. "When I was pregnant, your father and I didn't expect to receive twins in the first place, but when my doctor told us the news that we _were_ having twin siblings, we were over the moon at the news!"

She sniffled softly, happily thinking back that wondrous moment that she considered as one of her most cherished memories. She wiped away a tear streaming down her own cheek and rubbed Dipper's back gently.

"And at that moment I birthed you and Mabel, we both knew you two would grow up to be such wonderful children...and that no matter what may occur, we would still love you both very much and we will always be there to protect you both…" she finished sweetly.

Kristen then capped off her statement by bringing both Dipper and Mabel into another big, quiet, motherly embrace, with Jason even joining in as well, rubbing both his children's back in a comforting, fatherly manner. Dipper didn't object or say a word as he willingly sunk into Kristen's loving grasp, her honest and loving words enough to almost make him tear up again.

He also felt another arm wrap around his waist, as he looked to his left to see Mabel trying to hug him as well. Seeing her sad expression, Dipper managed to slip an arm around her as well, which resulted in Mabel burying her head in Dipper's shoulder.

The embrace lasted for another minute or so until they all released each other, with the rest of the family now looking into Dipper's eyes. Dipper sniffled before speaking up.

"So...you all really mean that? About me not being a burden?" he asked again, as if to try and make sure it's valid. His parents nodded back in confirmation.

"Every word of it, sweetheart…" murmured Kristen tenderly, followed by an honest "Mmm-hmm" from Jason as well.

"I know it's hard dealing with bullies and jerks like this, son, but please know that you do have people that care for you here...you have me, your mother, your sister, and even Waddles...we all love you with all of your hearts and nothing is going to change that…" finished off Jason thurthfully, his stony facade temporarily making way for his fatherly love.

With all that being said, Dipper let those words slowly sink into his mind. For quite some time, he followed through with his self-conscious demeanor as just seeing it as a crutch, a means where he won't feel at home because he thinks he's just wasted space, even if it's to his own family.

But then, despite all that's happened today, Dipper managed to take in solace that maybe he wasn't burdensome after all to his family. He let out a sigh, his mind finally easing up at last.

"Thanks, Mom...thanks, Dad…" murmured Dipper, slowly feeling a smidge better about himself. However, before he can put that little scene out to pasture, the conversation proved to still be going on as his parent's expressions slowly became more serious and heavy-hearted once again.

"But, son…" went Jason again, "In the end, you still lied to us about how you were feeling _and_ you were planning to run away for God-knows-when to another state. Do you realize how scared we were when we saw you getting ready to board that bus?"

Kristen nodded sadly. "Indeed, sweetie. I know you did it because you thought it'd be for the better, but I'm afraid you were wrong. We'd be horrified if something bad had happened to you down in Oregon and we'd have not way to reach you and find where you were…" she explained somberly.

"Running away wasn't and isn't going to solve your problems, son…no matter how big they are..." reminded Jason disapprovingly.

Just as Dipper thought he could relax, he felt himself jolt a bit at the slight shift in tone. Then again, Dipper knew he wasn't going to be out of the woods yet. After all, he _did_ try to sneak out of the state without anyone's acknowledgement after all.

Jason rubbed the bridge of his nose and gave Dipper a heavy sigh. "Which is why we're afraid that we have to ground you, son…" he finally stated, with his wife silently agreeing.

Dipper winced and frowned deeply at the sound of that, despite that he figured his actions would result in him getting grounded as such. In comparison to his over-excited, troublemaking sister, Dipper didn't usually get grounded as often. It came as a shock to Mabel herself, as she gave him a sympathetic, saddened gaze from the other side of the bed. Still, Dipper concluded that it was for the best in the end.

"I understand, sir…" Dipper murmured sadly, swallowing his pride, "How long am I grounded…?"

Jason and Kristen looked at each other and pondered for a little bit before coming up with a suitable timespan. "For one month, I'm afraid…" concluded Jason at last.

Dipper nodded in understanding. The standard grounding rule in the Pines household mainly consisted of no television, no Internet, or no hanging out with friends after school, a routine both children had followed for years. Even so, after what Dipper has done so far, three weeks almost seemed generous, but he still didn't object to these rules whatsoever.

"Understood, sir...I...I-I, uh…"

Both parents looked at Dipper expectantly, who was trying to say something through his upset jitters. "Yes, dear?" beckoned Mrs. Pines gently.

Dipper gulped and found his voice. "I-I know it's probably too late to s-say this, but...I'm really sorry, guys...to both you two…" he sighed out forlornly. He then looked over to his still-silent sister.

"...and to Mabel, as well...I really am sorry…" he finished off to his companion, who only gave Dipper a grave, somber look. Seeing the genuine sadness in his voice and eyes, Kristen once again gave Dipper a warm hug to help calm his nerves.

"Oh, sweetie, we know it's hard to accept yourself, but you should know that what you did today was inexcusable…you lied to our faces for some time now..." she explained softly. Jason gave Dipper a nod as he patted his back.

"We're only doing this because we love you and we want to protect the both of you…" reminded Jason in a fatherly tone, "But next time, if something is bothering, just _please_ go to us if you have any problems and we can all talk it out as a family...don't try and bottle everything up or go along with any rash plans or something…"

Dipper nodded within his mother's vice-like grip. "Yes, sir...sorry, guys...I love you both…"

Kristen tightened the hug and Jason joined in on the embrace as well, both thankful to have their son back safe and sound.

"We love you, too, son…" confirmed Mr. Pines gently, his wife humming back in agreement. They all soon released their hug, before Dipper got up and went over to Mabel, who has surprisingly been not as chatty throughout this chat (though, with good reason).

Dipper inhaled and immediately gave Mabel a hug herself. Mabel nearly stumbled off the bed at such unexpected force, but didn't object or push away, even when Dipper spoke up towards her.

"I'm really sorry for all this, Mabel...I love you so much…" he murmured as tenderly as he could be.

Although she definitely heard the genuinity in Dipper's voice, Mabel still sported a glum frown on her face. In her mind, she wasn't sure she wanted to believe that Dipper still loved her as a sister, thinking back to the trouble she caused back in Gravity Falls and how he could say he still loved her even after all the teasing and arguing she asserted towards him.

Regardless, she knew she had to personally speak with Dipper about their possibly-strained relationship sometime tonight, with hopes to try and get some things off her chest. For now, all she did was go with the flow as she finally returned Dipper's hug.

"...I love you...too, Dipper…" she sighed back, patting his back for good measure.

They stayed like this for a little while, even when the parents got back up so they could get dinner started. Jason patted Mabel's back comfortingly.

"Come on, sweetie…" he whispered to her gently, "Let's give your brother some space to think…"

Mabel hummed in reply and letting go of Dipper's hug, she carefully jumped off his bed and joined her parents as they exited the bedroom, but not before Mabel still interlocking a glum stare towards Dipper, which he returned as well.

With the rest of the family gone just as the door closed shut, Dipper got back on his bed, brought his hands to his face, and let out a tired groan. Today's events had certainly took a toll of his psyche, so he figured some rest might try and help calm him down.

As he tried to relax his aching muscles, he couldn't help but to think about Mabel during his conversation with his parents. All the while, she just looked so...lost and afraid, with the most hurt expression he'd ever seen Mabel show in both their lives. Obviously, him running away had affected her more then compared to their parent's reactions.

Still, seeing as how the twins were both very inseparable, it didn't really come as a shock that Mabel was be so broken-hearted over this outcome. It gave Dipper a remorseful sensation in the pit of his stomach, knowing he had inadvertently hurt Mabel greatly.

And somehow, he had a feeling in his gut that he'd be getting _another_ lecture pretty soon...

* * *

As the sky outside began to darken within the evening hours, Dipper still laid across his own bed, his grounding now officially in play. Without access to any electronics for a good month, all poor Dipper could do was just lay about in his room, feeling bored, quiet, tired, and very much guilty.

In his mind, he figured he was doing his family a favor by running away, by not being a hassle to them anymore, but seeing as how he wound up hurting his family instead, he began to realize that, whether he thought he was a burden or not, his family genuinely did love him, even with all his flaws and insecurities.

Even so, as much as Dipper _still_ well and truly missed Gravity Falls with all of his heart and still wished he could be back at the one place he seriously sees as home, the weight of the situation has finally unclouded his sinfully-exuberant desires and his morality came into full swing again, helping him see the consequences of his greedy actions clearly.

Dipper groaned audibly on his bed and shifted on his left side, facing Mabel's empty bed. After his actions so far, he'd be lucky to even be _allowed_ to go to Gravity Falls next summer. Through considering his lies had spiraled down into near chaos, he figured he'd deserve not going back to Oregon after all.

However, before he could partake any more self-loathing…

* **KNOCK-KNOCK!** *

A gentle rapping came from the door, prompting Dipper to cock his head towards the source of the noise, his body still lazily slouched over his bed.

"Come in…" he called out with a sigh. Probably gonna be one of his parents coming in to give him another lecture, he thought to himself.

That wasn't the case, however, as instead of a stern-looking parent walking into his bedroom, was actually his twin sister, sporting a rarely-shown demure expression on her face. Dipper gulped, somehow knowing that Mabel may be the one to try and give him a lecture, or at the very least, ask him more questions regarding his runaway.

Still, Dipper leaned back up from his side and sat on the bed edge, nervously looking at the girl slowly walk towards him and mentally readying himself for another talk. Mabel gulped herself, seeming just as nervous herself as she faced her brother and sat down right next to him on his bed.

At least half of a minute passed by, before one of them finally had spoke. Dipper cleared away the ever-growing lump in his throat and gave Mabel a rather awkward smile.

"...H-H-Hey, M-Mabel…" he managed to stutter out softly.

Mabel's face was mostly expressionless. All she did was glance at Dipper for a second, before looking away down at her dangling feet and letting out a glum sigh.

"...Hey, Dipper…" she greeted back finally, her melancholy tone worrying Dipper again. Dipper coughed again, this time out of pure awkwardness.

The tension was too thick to even cut with the sharpest, biggest knife ever made, but regardless, _someone_ had to make the first move. Luckily, Mabel decided to step up to the mantle in hopes to start something of a conversation.

She cleared her own throat and looked back over to her twin.

"Dipper…?" she asked gently.

Dipper's fingers trembled, his heartbeat began to race faster and he was ready to sweat up a storm. Of course, sooner or later, should he have been caught, he knew he owed Mabel some sort of explanation relating to his actions. Considering how close the twins were, in spite of their clashing personalities, they always told each other everything whenever something was bothering them, and in this case, this situation was no different.

Dipper bravely inhaled deeply, preparing for the talk of a lifetime as he looked towards his upset twin sister.

"...Y-Yes…?" he replied timidly, awaiting for an onslaught of questions to arise from the girl. Mabel took in a breath herself before she began, all without looking directly at her brother this time.

"...Why did you have to leave home?"

Dipper gave Mabel a strange look, knowing fully well she had to have heard his explanation when discussing this with their parents. Regardless, he still decided to answer her anyways.

"Well...I-I mean...I said that I felt like I was a burden to you guys, you know...I really am b-being honest, Mabel…" replied Dipper gently. Mabel pursed her lips, not fully sure if she believed the whole "burden" explanation, but still wanted to see if there was more to this story.

She coughed in her hand before continuing. "Well, there had to been another reason you left. Ever since we've both returned home, you've been complete distant from us almost every day, and whenever we try to talk to you, you just push us away instead! I mean, why else would you leave for Gravity Falls without me!?" she began to demand with a sad voice.

She shuddered out a sigh before she capped off her statement with one last, pitiful lament.

"...Dipper...did you leave Piedmont because of me? D-Did I do something to upset you?"

Dipper's eyes widened slightly at the split second that question came out of her mouth. He gave Mabel a funny look and shuffled closer towards her on the bed.

"Wh-why on Earth would you think that, Mabel?" stammered Dipper, unsure how to process that question. Mabel did manage to finally look into Dipper's eyes, her own eyes looking quite upset.

"Oh, please, Dipper…" she mourned upsettingly, "It's not like I've never done anything to upset you in the past! All the times I've teased you and gave you a hard time…"

Dipper looked at Mabel with a look that was a mix of confusion and sympathy. Deep down, while he understood that while Mabel can be rambunctious, teasy, and always charging into a situation without a plan, Dipper knew that that was just how Mabel is and what defines her.

Although, that didn't mean that her mocking and hotheadedness didn't get to Dipper at times. As much as he loved Mabel very much, he sometimes wished she could be more considerate to both him and towards the situations they keep landing in. Still, he tried not to dwell on that as he placed a brotherly hand on Mabel's own.

"Mabel…" he whispered in concern, looking into her eyes, "What brought this up? You usually aren't one feel so self-conscious…"

Mabel gulped and shivered a bit, before she looked away again from her twin. "Well...I dunno...I guess I've been thinking about what been making you so sad lately. I kinda figured it was because of some...personal reasons from back during our summer…"

Dipper blinked once. "Personal reasons?" he echoed confusingly.

Mabel nodded. "You know...how've I upsetted you back in the Falls. The time me and Grunkle Stan called ya 'unmanly', teasing you about your crush on Wendy, how I've blew your chance to impress her just so I could win Waddles at the fair…"

Her voice then went down into a somber octave, now leading up to her more selfish and lowest act yet.

"When I made you give up Grunkle Ford's apprenticeship because I was a selfish jerk…"

Even with her tone so low and quiet, Dipper winced at the thought of that one memoir.

While true, he still very much would've adored to be Stanford's student and to discover more supernatural goings-on around the town, he had been blinded before when he told the news to Mabel, whom was so disheartened when finding out Dipper going to stay in Gravity Falls forever, she wound up striking a deal with the chaotic Bill Cipher, which soon enough, helped to lead to Bill unleashing the unholy occurrence that was Weirdmageddon.

Knowing that his own sister played a part in bringing forth this event upsetted Dipper greatly, to the point he wasn't sure if were to forgive Mabel for her greedy actions. Just thinking about Mabel doing something so heinous broke Dipper's heart.

All Dipper could muster out was a hushed and understanding "Oh…" before the two fell into another silent, awkward spell.

Thankfully, it didn't last as long until Mabel piped up again.

"Dipper?"

The boy in question gulped. "...Yeah?"

He heard his sister letting out a feeble, shuddery sigh before he was blessed with another fully-loaded question that sent shivers down his spine.

"Dipper...do you... _resent_ me for the stuff I caused back in Gravity Falls?"

Poor Dipper's eyes went wider than ever. He felt his throat instantly dry up, causing his already-squeaky voice hitch up out of surprise. His face went a bit clammy and he nearly broke out in a sweat. Did she really ask that if her own twin brother straight up resents her?

As before, Dipper could only answer with confused and jumbled stutters until he was able to gain control of his speech.

"...No...I mean...uh...I...M-M-Mabel, why would you even _ask_ that!?" cried Dipper incredulously, his mind racing at 100 miles per second. Mabel frowned deeply.

"Oh, come of it, Dipper!" she huffed, "You and I know what I did was beyond horrible! I was the one who started Weirdmageddon because I was being such a selfish baby!"

Dipper frowned and cringed slightly, silently agreeing what she did was really bad, but he didn't know whether to let Mabel down easy or to just fess up and tell Mabel how he really feels. Unfortunately, Mabel was being both relentless and a tad hysterical right now, which didn't do wonders for Dipper's already-frayed nerves.

He only managed to give out a confused stutter until Mabel cut him off.

"Listen, bro-bro, t-this has just been bugging me all week! Just let me know if there is more to why you ran away than what you've said to Mom and Dad...and this time," pleaded Mabel, " _please_ tell me the truth!"

Dipper gulped and shook his head to try and clear it from all these baffling thoughts. This situation was starting to become too hard to comprehend.

"B-But, I _was_ telling the truth, M-Mabel! I _do_ see myself as a burden! Honest!" he reasoned stressfully. Despite the fact that Dipper really _was_ speaking the truth, it seemed that Mabel looks a bit apprehensive to believe him, given the events for the past week proved that Mabel didn't know who or what to trust.

She groaned sadly and got up from the bed, walking in front of Dipper to look him squarely in the eyes. Dipper shuddered fearfully, unsure what may come up next. He heard Mabel let out a sigh as she spoke up yet again.

"So...all I'm asking is that you just be straight with me, Dipper…" she insisted, her tone sounding quite serious than how it normally is, "So, please...just tell me if you hate me or something!?"

Dipper felt his clammy, sweaty hands tremble and jitter on his lap. He was completely unsure of what to say or even think. After a minute of silent thinking and nervous stammers, he soon decided to go through with the best solution he could only think of for this dilemma.

It was probably best to come clean and just get this over with, then.

Dipper took in the deepest breath he ever inhaled, trying to clear his mind and soul as best as he could. Mabel stood by and awaited for Dipper's answer with baited breath. Even she began to feel nervous at the prospect of Dipper saying how he really feels about her, but she tried to stay strong and not go off the rails again, knowing deep down, she most likely expected what the answer may really be.

At last, Dipper mustered the energy to finally give Mabel the answer she was expecting to get. Dipper exhaled softly and looked back towards Mabel's face. Then, he gave her his final answer.

"...no…"

As soon as that simple word quietly slipped out of Dipper's mouth, Mabel could only stand there, mouth agape and beyond surprised at this. Clearly, this wasn't really the answer she was expecting to hear.

Mabel nearly croaked out of shock before she was able to speak coherently now. "Whuh...but, I...n- _no!?_ What you mean 'no'!?" she cried out, demandingly wanting a good explanation for his answer.

Dipper groaned softly. "...I don't resent you, Mabel…" he repeated simply.

That still wasn't enough to calm Mabel down. "Yeah, but why!?" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air, "Why would you think that, even after the whole Weirdmageddon thing!? O-Or the apprenticeship!?"

Dipper pursed his lips. "I'll get to that now, Mabel. Just _please_ settle down…" he replied, his tone sounding hollow.

Mabel thankfully complied and simply stood there, quiet and ready to listen to what he had to say. And with the heaviest sigh Dipper has ever made, he finally let his mind speak clearly for once.

"I don't resent you, Mabel. I _do_ love you as a sister...but...I _will_ say there are times when you just...upset me so much…"

Mabel frowned and felt her breath hitch, knowing she was in for a lecture but still stayed quiet regardless as Dipper continued on. He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned tiredly.

"Look, Mabel, I'm not gonna suger-coat it. I love you, but what you did with the whole Weirdmageddon thing was just...so...s-so…" He paused for a little bit, unable to try and find a suitable word for this dilemma. Luckily, Mabel beat him to the punch.

"So unforgivable?" she offered meekly.

Dipper hemmed and hawed for a second as that word was said. Although a part of him wanted to let Mabel off easy, another part was practically screaming at him to just say how he feels and to let Mabel know that her actions do have consequences.

After a few seconds of contemplation, it took Dipper enough courage to answer Mabel as straightforward as he could be.

"...Yes…"

As soon as that answer slipped from his tongue, Mabel felt what was left of her high spirits begin to wilt down, now fearing the worst of what Dipper may say. Though, from his upset tone of voice and because of the gravity of the situation, it seems like Dipper's mind was made up and that Mabel had just dug her own grave.

"...So...you don't forgive me then...for all the mean stuff I did…?" she asked, her hopes of trying to make amends with Dipper dwindling by a thread at this point.

Dipper twitched a little at the sound of hearing that. Although he well and truly didn't hate Mabel, he still found her unruly actions and rowdy behavior jarring at times. With his emotions battling each other in his mind on how to properly handle this problem, he still decided to follow his heart and just let Mabel know how he feels.

"Mabel, most of the stuff you did before Weirdmageddon were merely contrivances...but what you did with Bill Cipher truly did take the cake…" he mused gravelly.

Even though the way he tried to word his statement made it seem like he was trying to let her down easy, Mabel still wasn't convinced at all as her eyes saddened even more. Hurt tears began to well up and she sniffled multiple times, her mind flooding with only one outcome to this whole ordeal.

"...So, it's true...you really do hate me…" she confirmed depressingly, hiccuping out a sob as she buried her head in her hands.

Dipper groaned tiredly. She really wasn't going to make this easy, was she? As much as he didn't like seeing his regularly-cheerful and positive twin cry, he only figured he'd still let her know about what her actions can lead up to.

With a tired, but guilty sigh, he got up from the bed and placed a hand on Mabel's arm. It was enough for Mabel to direct her attention towards him, and soon with Dipper gazing into Mabel's hurt, misty eyes, he continued to speak.

"Mabel...I don't hate you, I'm being completely honest. But what I am is disappointed…" he declared softly.

His sister only frowned slightly deeper, unmoved by his statement. "Th-That's just a fancy way of saying you _are_ mad at me!" she whimpered back defiantly. Dipper resisted the urge to groan louder in frustration and resumed trying to reassure her as best as he can.

"I'm being serious, Mabel. I do not, repeat, _do not_ hate you. And I'm not really mad...just really, _really_ frustrated…" Dipper tried to reason. Mabel wiped away a tear.

"Being really frustrated is basically just being mad, Dipper…" corrected Mabel matter-of-factly, even through her tears.

Dipper almost wanted to comment on that, but after a few seconds of letting that sentence sink in, he was actually inclined to agree with her on that little tidbit, but didn't want to dwell on that for now.

"Well...I'm really not mad, Mabel. It's just that...sometimes when you tend to make fun of me or mock me or such...I just really hurts, you know…"

Mabel sniffled away one last tear. "I'm sorry, Dipper...I only did it just to play around with you is all…I didn't think it'd get to you like that..." Dipper sighed gently, uncertain on whether her excuse was valid or not.

"Mabel, I know you do mean well at times...but you have to understand that actions do have consequences…I mean...for you to just make a deal behind my back, with _Bill Cipher_ of all people!?" explained Dipper sharply. He shook his head disappointingly.

"Th-That was just downright selfish, Mabel! The town was nearly decimated when Bill wrought all that chaos down upon us. People could've been killed, Mabel! _I_ could've been killed! Don't you understand that!?"

Now, as much as Mabel wanted to try and stay quiet during Dipper's rant, she couldn't help but to furrow her brow when the whole "selfish" bit came up. Something about what he said seemed to be quite hypocritical in Mabel's mind.

"Well... _you_ were the one planning to stay behind in Gravity Falls anyways!" she shot back, her tone mixed with annoyance and grief, "I may be in the wrong, Dipper, but what you did with that apprenticeship wasn't exactly generous either. You were straight up willing to let me go!"

Dipper balled up his fists and tried his hardest not to let his guard down, seeing as how remembering all these past mistakes almost made him want to tear up. Somehow, he figured Mabel would bring Ford's apprentice offer up again, but still, he didn't back down.

"Only cause I thought it was best for the both of us!" he finally exclaimed at an almost-harsh volume, "So I wouldn't hold you back anymore!"

In an instant, Mabel's anger was briefly put aside and got replaced with just confusion. "'Hold me back'!? Dipper, what the heck are ya talking about!?"

Dipper sighed and rubbed his temples to attempt to calm himself. "It's because, like I've said before, I _do_ see myself as a burden to you and our parents…"

"But you are not, Dipper!" exclaimed Mabel in retaliation, "You honestly aren't! You shouldn't think like that, bro!"

"Well, I do, Mabel!" persisted the awkward adventurer as he sat back down on his bed, "I feel like I'm just holding you back and being nothing but a bore to you. I figured I'd skip town to not be in your hair anymore, you know?"

Mabel couldn't believe what she was hearing right now. "Wha...I...Dipper, why would I see you as a bore?" she asked incredulously.

Without missing a beat, Dipper already had his examples on standby. "Well, there are times when you call me a nerd, a bookworm, a geek…"

Then, with a low, almost ominous-sounding tone, he brought up something else interesting during that Dipper had encountered during Weirdmageddon.

"I mean...why else would you have thought up Dippy Fresh when you were stuck in Bill's mind?"

It was then when Mabel felt her heart grow heavy at the mere mention of Dipper's apparent "cooler and more hip" counterpart. Naturally, he was referring to the dreamland / prison that Bill Cipher created for Mabel, tricking and essentially brainwashing her while keeping her as prisoner, where she also had manifested Dippy Fresh as something of a "backup brother".

Since Dipper, Wendy, and Soos had rescued her from her prison, she started to regret even bringing that thing to life in the first place, regardless if she was brainwashed by Cipher ot not. Still, lest she cause any more grief to her brother at this point, she knew she had to speak up.

"D-Dipper...I-I…"

"I mean, it's like, I wasn't enough and you had to go and have...have that _thing_ be by your side!? Am I really that much of a bore to you, Mabel!?" cried out Dipper, so heartbroken at the thought of being replaced...by his own twin sister no less.

His nerve-wracked sister frowned deeper. "No, Dipper, you're not a bore! Honest!" she tried to reason, much to Dipper's disbelief.

"Then why do you always make fun of me!? Even if it was out of fun and games, sometimes words can hurt as much as a punch, Mabel!" Dipper stated, curtly and sharply. Mabel was now reaching the breaking point at this moment. She wasn't sure how much of this she could take.

"Dipper, I'm so sorry I did all that! I really am!" she apologized, her voice broken and genuinely sorry. Dipper scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"Mabel, I don't think sorry's gonna cut that…" he pointed out sourly, "I know you said you want to be more attentive, but you need to know that it'll take more than apologies to fix problems like this…"

Mabel suddenly grew desperate by now. "But I am sorry, Dipper! I-I don't know what came over me!" she wailed out, tears already pricking her eyelids, "I don't really know why I even do this! It's p-probably because of…"

Her voice trailed off at the end. Her face almost paled for a second, but her eyes were still wet from her oncoming tears. Something had suddenly clicked in her mind about this whole situation. The apprenticeship, why she was horrified of letting Dipper go, it all caught up to her, showing her the reason why she was scared of leaving Dipper behind.

Still, she knew she owed Dipper a good explanation for her past actions, with her brother in question awaiting for as such as he patiently stood by, arms crossed, and waited for Mabel to speak. Mabel frowned deeply and followed her heart as best as she could.

"I-It's...b-because of…" she stuttered out. Dipper stared at her, nonplussed.

"It's because of what?" he repeated back sternly, clearly in need of a good answer. Mabel gulped and tried to regain her composure.

"...It's because I...i-it's b-because…"

Dipper gave Mabel an expecting, sort-of unamused look towards Mabel, which only led her to simply shudder out a groan and having her just fess up already.

"...Because I'm afraid of change, Dipper…"

Now, Dipper raised an eyebrow. His frown was still shown on his face, but his stern attitude began to soften a little at the sound of her sincere answer. "You're scared of...change?"

Mabel nodded. "Ever since you stated you wanted to stay back in Gravity Falls with Grunkle Ford, I was absolutely heartbroken. We've would have been separated for who-knows-long, and if something bad had happened to you and if I wasn't around to help you out...I'd be devastated…"

She then looked down at her feet with the glumest look on her face.

"I was afraid I would never ever see you again...I was afraid I'd lose you forever…that's why I caused this mess..."

Dipper blinked once, trying to process all of this at once. "...You were scared you'd lose me...forever?"

"Well...yeah!" exclaimed Mabel, "Dipper, look, I know I've screwed up big time, and that I may not be the best sister around...but I _do_ love you, bro! I'd be absolutely lost without you…"

The brunette boy was still stuck with a mildly dumbfounded expression. Regardless of all the times Mabel has royally annoyed him, he still loved her deeply, and after about three weeks of self-pity and loneliness, hearing Mabel's claim with a clear, cleansed mind helped to get the gears in his head turning again, realizing that maybe, just maybe he was loved after all.

Still, it didn't hurt just to make sure…

"...Y-Y-You really mean that, Mabel?" he asked timidly.

Mabel finally succeeded in producing a genuinely-warm smile for so long. "Of course, Dipper," she answered unwaveringly, "You mean the world to me and I want to make amends again…"

Then, she picked Dipper up off the bed and brought him into a warm, soft embrace. Dipper felt the fuzziness of Mabel's sweater brush against his skin, with her vice-like arms keeping him at bay as Mabel tightened the hug, not wanting to let him go. Her smile then dropped for a second, as she let the weight of the situation take control of her feelings.

"...I just want to be part of your life, Dipper…I don't want you to leave me forever…"

It was then when Dipper felt his heartstrings get tugged a bit harder than he thought.

"Mabel...you...you weren't gonna lose me forever...W-We still could have been together somehow…" reasoned Dipper through his shot nerves. Mabel shook her head somberly.

"No, we couldn't have, Dipper…" Mabel looked away from Dipper shamefully, "We still would've been far apart…"

Dipper grew more frantic than ever. "B-But we w-w-would have! I still c-could've c-called you or I...we...I d-don't…"

At that split moment, Dipper's mind was doing triple backflips as everything began piling up all at once. Even if he was upset at Mabel for her selfishness, even he slowly began to realize that maybe, he really was no better after all. Him lying to his parents, him wanting to flee the state, all selfish and greedy actions.

Dipper's stammering came to an end, He was completely uncertain if Mabel was trying to make him feel this bad or not, but either way, it was enough for him to finally have the gravity of this whole mess fall down on him, sending his mind astray with the real reason Weirdmageddon may have commenced.

"Oh...m-man...this is really all _my_ fault…" he concluded at last, his hands trembling furiously and knees shaking enough for himself stumble back on the edge of the bed. Mabel heard this and immediately looked back towards Dipper as if he'd grown another head.

"I-I-If I was never offered of that apprenticeship, I-I never would have upset you and I never would've triggered this whole mess!"

Mabel blinked confusedly, surprised of the sudden shift in tone Dipper was sporting now.

"D-Dipper?" she squeaked out, to which Dipper didn't hear her as he continued to rant towards himself.

"Now because of my unawareness and selfish attitude, I helped play a part in nearly bringing the apocalypse!" cried Dipper hastily, his mind racing with bad thoughts, "I practically doomed Gravity Falls!"

Mabel's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as soon as that bombshell of a conclusion was dropped! Was Dipper really going to blame himself for causing Weirdmageddon as well? This certainly didn't sit right with Mabel, and she was gonna make sure her opinion was soundly heard.

"Dipper, what the heck are ya saying!? I was the one being a selfish brat about that whole thing with you and Grunkle Ford!" she yelped out in stunned surprise. Dipper, however, didn't listen.

"And then, I wind up hurting you and our own parents by running away like a coward, so that I could stop being a joke to everyone! A lot of good that would've done, seeing as I'll probably just mess up and cause another Judgement Day or something!" he griped. Mabel knew this was starting to get out of control.

"Dipper, you couldn't have anticipated Weirdmageddon was gonna happen! Please, calm down!" cried Mabel, which still fell onto deaf ears.

"Now because of me and my stupid dreams, I probably blew our chances to go back to Oregon again...heck, Id's be luck if Mom and Dad allow me to leave this room period ever again…" groused Dipper negatively. Mabel frowned in concern.

"But, Dipper, I'm sure things will get better soon, I-" Mabel's assurance was immediately cut off as Dipper continued his rant.

"I mean, the only people that even bother to care about are all in another state, while I'm stuck being a joke to everyone at school!" he raved unhappily.

"D-Dipper, that ain't true! Please, don't spiral down to-" But again, Dipper wasn't having any of it.

"I thought running away was supposed to help you guys forget about me, and now look where that has gotten us!"

"Dipper, _please_ , calm dow-"

"I can't think why I thought this was a good idea to begin with! I can't even skip town without messing something up!"

"Please, Dipper, I-"

"Maybe everyone at school really were right!"

"Dipper!"

"I really _am_ just a loser that can't do anything right!"

"Dipper!"

"And that Edward most likely is true in saying that I am probably not but a worthless failur-"

" _Mason Alexander Pines, that is_ _**enough!**_ "

That shut Dipper right up in an instant. He gaped at Mabel almost frightfully. Her entire face was red, her cheeks were stained from tears, and her misty, puffy eyes were filled with anguish. Plus, she never referred to his full birth name unless if it was absolutely dire, so hearing her shout it out startled poor Dipper greatly.

He shuddered anxiously before Mabel, as if she might even pounce or attack him afterwards, but that wasn't the case when after Mabel gave him a hard stare for a few tense seconds, she then unfurrowed her brow, let out a sad sigh, wiped away her tears, and quietly joined him on the bed, now giving him a sympathetic look instead.

Figuring that the two had suffered enough heartbreak, Mabel felt it best to try and simmer down this talk before either one of them may say something to each other that they may regret.

"Dipper Pines, you are not the reason Weirdmageddon was started. You didn't know accepting an internship from Grunkle Ford was gonna lead to all that. _I_ was the one who made a deal with Bill! It was _my_ fault!" she tried to rationalize with him, despite how unconvinced Dipper was.

"And lastly, Dipper," she continued, "I know you may see _yourself_ as not all that important, but you do have people that see you as an important friend, believe me!" she reassured as she patted his back in comfort.

Dipper's lips straightened into a line. He was exhausted and upset from today's events, and the talk he had with Mabel up to now wasn't helping with his mindset at the moment. He still wasn't sure to forgive Mabel for now, but he still wanted their relationship to still be stable enough to not warrant the two to wind up breaking apart anymore this week.

"Yeah, but the ones who _do_ see me as that are all in Gravity Falls…" he muttered glumly after some seconds of thought.

However, without warning, Mabel pulled Dipper into a sisterly side-hug and looked into his sad eyes. "Not just in Gravity Falls though, bro-bro…" she reminded softly.

Dipper looked back at her in bafflement before she continued. "It's like what Mom and Dad said, you are important to us...you're their beloved son and you're my awesome twin brother. I'd be lost and scared without you, Dipper…"

Dipper stammered a bit, not sure what to even say, despite how secretly touched he was that his family really thought of him that way. Mabel, knowing that he may bring up that one topic again, gently placed a finger to his lips to let her speak freely.

"And look...I know I messed up with the whole apprenticeship thing...and there's probably nothing I can do to make up for that...but I still just wanna say Dipper, that we could still be able to have more fun and make more new memories next time we go back to the Falls!" she said, her tone sounding a bit more hopeful this time.

Dipper blinked. "Next time?" he asked simply.

"Yeah!" chirped Mabel with a nod, "I mean, maybe Grunkle Ford can let ya do the apprenticeship over the summer instead! Then you can intern with him and then take the time to do some discovering with him as well as with me!"

Then, Mabel grew more quiet after saying that last part. She timidly looked away from her brother.

"That is...if you still _want_ to go on adventures with me…" she concluded disheartedly.

Silence fell for only a few seconds until Mabel felt something grip her waist gently. She picked her head back up and swung it around to see Dipper returning her sideways hug and giving her a small, sad, but supportive smile.

"Mabel, of course, I still wanna go on adventures with you!" he replied sincerely, "I know there are times we can get on each other's nerves, but you are still my twin sister and I love you…" Mabel sniffled a bit before continuing again.

"Even though you do still don't forgive me for my actions?" she asked. Dipper knew she was gonna mention that again and only sighed, but still kept his comforting smile.

"Mabel, just because I get mad at you doesn't mean I'll stay mad forever. Sure, the whole Weirdmageddon thing was crazy and a total mess...for both of us and for our friends...but like you said, you mentioned that you wanted to try and be more attentive, right?" he reminded gently, patting her back in consolation.

Mabel nodded back feebly and honestly. Dipper tenderly smiled back.

"Well then, let's both consider this as a means for redemption…they'll come a time in the future where we can consider ourselves even." he chuckled softly, trying to sound light-hearted in this situation. Mabel thought for a moment before slowly giving Dipper a little smile.

"...and _then_ you'll see me as a good sister?" she asked, her voice all mousey and laced with sad hope.

Dipper exhaled at that last bit of self-esteem Mabel was displaying. And with a playful roll of his eyes, he carefully brought Mabel into a full hug, gently giving her a brotherly caress around the waist, in hopes to make her feel a bit better, which it slightly did, but Mabel was feeling more shock from the sudden hug than anything. After a few seconds of hugging, Dipper pulled away and kindly smiled towards his sister.

"Mabel, I don't think you're a horrible sister..." evoked Dipper truthfully, rubbing her arms softly, "Sure, I can get annoyed when you act all selfish and such, but there _is_ a good streak deep down inside you...you just have to work hard to try and let it show out more, y'know?"

Mabel carefully wiped away what felt like a tear prick at her eye as she gave him a touched smile. "You really think that, Dipper?" Dipper nodded proudly.

"I do…" answered Dipper, "I mean, you always go out of your way to cheer people up. You're always brimming with positivity and determination, and when you do work towards a goal, you always stick by it, even when things may seem dark…"

Mabel, although touched by Dipper's words, helped to give him a bit of a pep talk as well. "That's not entirely true, Dip-Dip!" she replied, "It's like, you're obviously the brains of this duo! You're innovative, you're quick-thinking, and you're intra...you're intree...uh…intra-ma-cat?"

Mabel faltered at that last word, prompting a sincere laugh out from Dipper. "You mean, intricate, right?" he corrected with a warm chuckle.

"Hee-hee, yeah, that one!" she giggled, putting on a small, but silly grin. The two each shared a chuckle after both started to feel a bit relaxed now, the tension in the air slowly beginning to dissolve at last. The laughter soon dwindled down, leading to both twins now laying down on Dipper's bedspread, both sporting calmed smiles.

Although, a few more seconds ticked by until Dipper let out a soft sigh and put on a worried face. Mabel noticed this, of course, and carefully grabbed his hand with her's.

"Everything okay, bro?" she asked gently. Dipper shrugged in bit.

"I guess...but, it's like...I dunno…" His voice trailed off pitifully, before he soon buried his head and his hands and let out a tired, shameful groan.

"Things'll never be the same anymore, eh?" he concluded demurely. Mabel raised an eyebrow.

"What do ya mean, Dip?" she asked in confusion.

"You know, we just vented out these personal problems we've both been feeling for some time now, and now because I've been such so obsessed with returning to the Falls, I wound up hurting you, Dad, and Mom instead of trying to do you guys a favor…" explained Dipper, now looking straight down at his laying stomach.

Mabel gazed at him in sympathy and grabbed his hand again. As much as she didn't care for change herself, she still wanted to do good for Dipper again and to make amends. No time like the present, she supposed.

"It's all be okay, Dipper…" she assured knowingly, "Whether you do get that apprenticeship again or not, we'll still be back in Gravity Falls next summer."

Dipper frowned unsuredly. At this point, he didn't care if he'd ever get that apprenticeship or not when he returned to the Falls, but after the display he had concocted earlier with the bus, the lies, and sneaking off without anyone noticing, would his parents even allow him to leave his house, let alone the state again when summer came along.

Even as he was sobering up from today's mishap, he would be devastated if he'd never had the chance to see his Gravity Falls friends and family members again. Dipper shrugged limply and scoffed to himself.

"Yeah, _if_ our parents even allow me to go after today's stunt…" he mumbled. Mabel smiled kindly.

"They will, Dip, trust me. It'll just take some time before they feel you're ready to be let go again for the summer…" she explained honestly. Dipper pursed his lips.

"I suppose…" mused Dipper, still feeling uncertainty bubble in his gut, "It's just...I still miss all my friends and family back in Gravity Falls…Grunkles Stan and Ford, Soos, and Wendy...all of them..."

Mabel gave Dipper a more motherly smiled and scooched closer to Dipper to try and comfort him. "I miss them, too, DIpper. Believe me, I really do. But, we just gotta be patient is all…they'll still be there waiting for us when we return next summer."

Even though Dipper admired Mabel for doing her best to cheer him up, which did slowly work, he couldn't help but to feel a smidgen of guilt well up deep inside him. It was also then when Dipper remembered something else that happened that Thursday that caused him to reach into his vest pocket.

Mabel grew curious when Dipper silently pulled out what appeared to be a crumpled and stapled-up sleeve of paper from his jacket, but after seeing him open the page up, she gasped in fright as she now clearly seen what this page really was.

"...D-Dipper!?" she quivered in shock, "I-Is that o-o-our…?"

"Our letter from when we left Gravity Falls?" Dipper finished for her with a sad sigh, "Yep…"

Mabel gaped in both awe and terror. "I was wondering where this was! What the heck happened to it!?" she asked out, still in the state of shock. Dipper frowned.

"Remember that run-in I had with Edward Viscount from Thursday? Well, let's say he got the upper hand and he wound up ripping this in half while we were in the bathroom…" explained Dipper sadly. "I tried to salvage this thing as best as I could...I kept holding onto this only so I could never forget our friends and family in the Falls…"

Mabel grew sadder and even more guilty upon hearing all of this. "Oh, bro-bro, I'm so sorry that happened…" she apologized, looking genuinely upset for Dipper's plight. Dipper shrugged dolefully.

"It's okay…but I'd doubt it could be fixed any better for now…" admitted Dipper, gesturing to the staples and bits of sticky tape holding together the torn letter. Mabel winced at the crude workmanship, but still tried to stay positive.

"Oh my...m-maybe when we get back to the Falls, maybe we could have the guys make another letter?" she offered helpfully. Dipper tilted his head and flashed an unsure frown as he placed the letter back on the bed.

"Hopefully...plus, I _do_ appreciate you trying to confront Viscount on Friday, Mabel, but it probably wouldn't have done any good...that guy is as persistent as he is stubborn…" replied Dipper, ending his sentence with a bittersweet chuckle.

Mabel groaned in agreement. "I've noticed…" she hummed knowingly with a small smile.

The two then fell into another spell of silence for a little while, with each twin unsure of what else to say to each other. Luckily, a forlorn sigh from Dipper was enough to trigger another conversation as Mabel's attention was now grasped.

"Mabel?"

Mabel turned towards him. "Yeah?" she asked softly.

Dipper sighed. "Why must the good things in life be so hard to obtain?" he asked simply.

Mabel shrugged, honestly unsure on how to answer that. "I dunno, bro…" she confided. Dipper frowned a bit at that, that is until Mabel managed to give him a tiny smile.

"But I _do_ know that good things do come to those who wait…" she reminded, as she playfully booped Dipper on his nose, rewarding her with a small giggle that escaped from Dipper's mouth. He capped off his laugh with a sigh, but this time, he kept a small smile plastered on his rosy face.

Then, after some time of quietness. "I'm terribly sorry about all this, Mabel…"

Dipper's apology was enough for Mabel turn her head in attention. Mabel stayed quiet as he kept talking. "I shouldn't have acted so rash with this whole Gravity Falls business…"

Mabel grinned tenderly. "It's okay, Dippy. I'm sorry I've been such a big jerk to you lately. I didn't think I'd be enough to cause you to run away though…" She then sighed softly in mild sadness.

"I shouldn't have treated you as baggage though. The apprenticeship, Dippy Fresh, Weirdmageddon...I don't know how I can make it up to you for all this madness…"

Mabel almost expected another lecture to be brought up after mentioning those triggering memories yet again, but to her surprise, she didn't really expect to see Dipper giving her a tiny smile and patting her back before she could go through another self-loathing episode.

"It's okay, Mabes. I know it's hard to forget our mistakes and to accept change, but once we take the time to learn from our actions, this whole mess will just be water off a duck's back. Besides, I think it's best for know if we just work on being better siblings rather than think about Bill or Dippy Fresh or all that negative stuff…" explained Dipper, his tone unfaltering and calm enough to ease Mabel down a bit.

Despite the proposal sounding similar to a "forgive-and-forget"-type solution, Dipper, who was still unsure about forgiving Mabel this soon, figured that maybe if the two would try and let go of these painful thoughts, it could help them both focus more on trying to improve their relationship, to make them want to move on and fix their mistakes when the time comes.

For Mabel, this plan seemed like it was better than nothing. She nodded softly. "I suppose you're right, Dipper...right now...I'm just glad you're still here…" Dipper smiled and nodded back.

"Thanks, Mabel. It's like I've said though, I wanted to run away only because I missed all of my friends there and because I thought I was nothing but a hassle to you guys…"

Mabel rolled her eyes with a smile. "Seriously, bro-bro, you ain't a hassle. We love having you in our family!" Mabel replied earnestly. Dipper shrugged slightly.

"Still though…" he reminisced, "Our summer in Gravity Falls was probably one of the best things to ever happen to me. Where I actually managed to make good friends and where I could _try_ and gain some sort of confidence in myself…"

Mabel smiled knowingly. "A place where you could be yourself?"

Dipper nodded back, his facial features nostalgic and forlorn. "...Yeah…"

He then felt his hand being held by another. He turned to see Mabel kindly holding his right hand and giving him a sisterly grin. "Well, I know waiting is tough, Dipper, but it'll all be worth it in the end. And as far as I'm concerned, you'll never have to worry about forgetting about our friends in the Falls..."

Dipper sighed quietly. "I hope so…" he admitted. Mabel chuckled warmly.

"Trust me, it will, Dip. Besides, we're twins. We should be doing things _together_ , not apart. Y'know, where I can help you feel more at ease at home…"

Dipper grinned back and squeezed her hand. "And I can help you to show your more considerate side…" he promised. Mabel beamed brightly, her face now looking as sunny and blushy as it should be. She then pulled Dipper into a tight hug, which Dipper immediately returned without hesitation.

"Thanks for being my brother, Dipper…no matter what you or anyone else says, you're a great kid and I do love you very much…" came the softest, sincerest statement Mabel has ever made. Dipper smiled warmly.

"And thanks for being my sister, Mabel…" he replied, "I'm just happy you and my parents don't see me as a burden…" Mabel giggled within the hug.

"Well, burden or not, Dippy...I'm happy to have my favorite bro-bro back at home again…" smiled Mabel. DIpper couldn't help but to chuckle.

"Mabel, I'm your _only_ brother…" he reminded with a good-natured grin. Mabel tightened the hug regardless.

"That just means there is only one of you to love…" stated Mabel with a soft, proud, sweetly voice.

And for the first time, ever since he returned back to Piedmont, Dipper managed to give Mabel something of a large, genuine smile, finally starting to completely feel at peace with both himself and his role in his own family. As much as she can irritate him and whether she would be selfish or headstrong, she was still his twin sister through and through.

And he still loved her very much...

Throughout all of the crazy, fantastic, and life-threatening misadventures they both shared during their summer, be it fighting gnomes, zombies, dinosaurs, shapeshifters, time-travelling agents, and whatever Godforsaken hell that Weirdmageddon has thrown at them, they both still stuck by each other until the end, managing to stay alive and continue to be together as brother and sister even through the toughest of fights.

They continued their bittersweet embrace throughout the evening, unaware of the sky outside suddenly beginning to change a bit.

The clouds above were slowly parting ways to make way for natural skylight. Although it still wasn't enough to showcase the descending sun from behind the clouds, whatever little sky was actually shown did prove to be just as beautiful. With the evening sky a lovely mixture of blue and purple, with the clouds a shade of orange and a few stars managing to peek through, it was finally a fresh breath of air to be seen after some weeks of clouds, coldness, and rain.

As the brisk autumn air cooled down for the approaching night and the small Piedmont neighborhood began to darken and get ready for bed, Dipper and Mabel still kept their hug going on for a grand while, silently until it was nearing time for bed.

However, as the night fell down, they had both wound up crashing on Dipper's bed, cuddled up next to each other across the bed, too tired from this week's events to even try and sleep in their own beds and both managing to get a good night's sleep as well once they felt their eyelids droop down for the night.

Hopefully soon, as grim as it seems right now, things may get better in future...

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **And there we go folks, our two-part climax has now drawn to a close!**

 **Writing this story, I hadn't planned for Dipper to** _ **actually**_ **return to Gravity Falls in the first place, at all. The lecture scene was meant to be split into two sections; the first being towards Dipper and his parents as they discuss his insecurities and how he sees himself as a burden to them, and the second section geared between Dipper and Mabel, as they talk about more personal matter, i.e. the stuff they went through back in the Falls and how it affected them both.**

 **This chapter was also my way of trying to give both Dipper and Mabel a chance to try and redeem / strengthen their relationship, although their talk mostly falls upon Mabel's side of their relationship, to give her a goal to try to be more attentive to Dipper and to not be so rash. Her fear of change was based upon a Tumblr post I've seen on the show's TV Tropes page, in a section list for "Alternative Character Interpretations".**

 **As for Dipper, I certainly wasn't planning on letting him get away scot-free from this ordeal, hence why I figured it best he'd be grounded for a while after his attempt to run away, but still have the parents understand his reasoning because of it. Fair's fair, after all. Plus, although he still hasn't** _**fully**_ **forgiven Mabel's actions from Weirdmageddon, that doesn't mean he'll stop loving her altogether.**

 **Still, I hope I didn't make their scene too black-and-white and that I've still portrayed their relationship decent enough. I'm not expecting everyone to love this chapter in particular, personally because I feel I hadn't written this chapter as well as I wanted, but if there is anything I can improve on or if I've left out some important info, please let me know and I can try and make some changes later on and apologies if this resolution seems like a cop-out to you guys.**

 **We still have another chapter to wrap some things up, so stay tuned when we find out the fate of Edward Viscount and we see what roles that unnamed redhead / blonde duo play a part in (and what their names actually are), in the penultimate chapter, "The Aftermath"! Hopefully this chapter won't take two or three chapters to make!**

 **A sincerest thanks to those sticking around so far and for giving such kind and helpful feedback! Hope the confrontation turned out well for you all! See you all soon! :D**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	7. Chapter 6: The Aftermath

**Now that the climax has come to a close, it's time for things to simmer down for a bit.**

 **I hope last chapter sat well with you guys, but I will extend an apology to you guys if it seemed forced, rushed, or not really realistic.**

 **This chapter, we'll mostly be seeing Edward Viscount III finally receive his comeuppance for being such a stuck-up, as well a smidge of progress regarding Mabel's plan to live up to her new goal to be a better sister to Dipper.**

 **Hope you all enjoy the chapter, everyone! :)**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun.)**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **CHAPTER SIX: THE AFTERMATH**

After spending his Saturday trying to run away from home, and ending with two seperate lectures with his parents and twin sister respectively, Dipper was purely thankful the worst of it was over.

Sure, while he was grounded for a month for his actions, his talk with his family had to slowly open his eyes to see what he truly he was; he was a valid member of the Pines family, and not a burden or a joke to anyone. Naturally, it was going to take some time for Dipper to fully accept on how he wasn't a hassle after all, but for now, he was just glad to be at home, despite how much he dearly missed his Gravity Fall allies.

As Sunday rolled around, Dipper spent his time without electronic amusement fairly well. He still had books to read and he did his chores as normal. He even helped out a little more around the house by his own choice, like helping with dinner and doing chores that weren't his own, like vacuuming downstairs or cleaning the den. Although his parents still kept his grounding status in operation, Jason and Kristen were still happy Dipper was talking this well and that he was taking initiative to try and make things right again.

It especially helped when Mabel offered to assist Dipper in every way he can.

True to her word, Mabel stood by Dipper's side and did whatever she could to help him with whatever he needed help with, whether it was chores, homework, or even emotional support. Despite Dipper politely trying to decline Mabel's offers, she stayed persistent and kept saying only this to prove how much she wanted to change.

"I'm staying true to my word and that's that, bro-bro…"

Dipper knew he couldn't really sway her anyways, and seeing as how she _was_ serious about being more attentive, he decided to accept her help and Mabel proved to be as helpful as she can be. Although he was still split on the whole "forgiving Mabel" issue, he was proud of Mabel for sticking to her goal so far.

Still, even his mind cleansed and his overwhelming impulses toned down, he still couldn't help but to dearly miss his other true friends; Grunkles Ford and Stan, Soos, and especially Wendy. Even if Dipper wasn't sure if he still had feelings for Wendy, he still hoped he could see her again soon.

But still, that's a thing that'll have to wait for another time...

* * *

With the weekend over and Monday meaning that school was back in session again, Dipper and Mabel Pines continued their academic roles as normal. However, extra precaution was made, just in case Dipper were to plan another runaway.

Jason and Kristen dropped off the twins and stayed in the drop-off zone until both twins had fully entered the school, with Mabel carefully watching him by her side as they entered the building until it was time for them to disperse to their own classes. Admittedly, Dipper was a tad nervous with everyone watching over him like a hawk, but in his mind, he knew it was for the best.

Technically, he was the one who brought this onto himself, so he just had to grin and bear it for a while…

Luckily, the rest of the school day went by fairly well. Nobody seemed to give Dipper a hard time and he kept up to his studies as normal. His morning classes went by fine, and when lunchtime came around, Dipper sat by with Mabel this time and finally began to feel his mind come to ease.

It wasn't long until it was nearly the end of the school and Dipper was finishing up his final class. He did his school work, prepped up for his homework for tonight, and soon after, he would be ready to meet Mabel at the pick-up area for their parents to arrive.

For the first time in a while, Dipper felt his nerves and mind were finally relaxed after some time.

' _Well, they said waiting isn't easy...but even if I have to wait another year to see my friends in the Falls again, then that's what I'll try and d-_ '

However, before he could even finish that thought, the nasally voice of the school secretary rang out from the intercom up above.

" _MASON PINES TO THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE, PLEASE…_ "

That was when poor Dipper gulped heavily and felt his heartrate speed up, thus causing his poor nerves to go nuts yet again. Just as the day seemed to be going along fine, Dipper suddenly gets called to the school principal of all people? Why on earth would he need to see him?

Admittedly, Dipper, being a demure kid who tries not to make any waves, normally nevers goes to the principal's office unless if it's something involving Mabel or if something important is brought up, but either way, Dipper was completely uncertain of what he did.

He hadn't time to think about that as he decided it best to just go to the office and see what the principal wanted with him. He picked up his belongings and tried to ignore the strange looks his classmates were giving him as he got up from his seat and headed out of the classroom, down the halls to where the principal's office was located.

Hopefully, Mabel won't think he'd have run off again this time with him preoccupied.

* * *

Soon enough, Dipper arrived at the school principal's office door. He shuddered and sweated, unsure of what was to happen once he stepped through this door. While the school principal wasn't an overly-strict or a mean-spirited man, he still knew when to be stern to his students when necessary and even so, Dipper was no different in that regard.

Still, Dipper couldn't help but to think what could happen though. Did he do something wrong? Would the principal call his parents if that was the case? There was only one way to find out.

Taking in a deep breath, Dipper slowly opened the door to reveal a small wait-in room, where the lithe, brown-haired school secretary was seen sitting in her small desk, typing away on her computer. Dipper shambled up to her and coughed nervously.

"E-Excuse me...I-I'm here to see t-the principal?" he stuttered softly and fearfully. The secretary looked towards the boy through her horn-rimmed glasses and nodded.

"Ah, Mason, Principal Chrish is awaiting for you in his office. You may enter through…" she stated, gesturing to the main door leading to the principal's room. Dipper nodded back and slowly made his way to the door.

Prepping for the worst of this situation, he summoned all his courage and opened the door to reveal the school principal sitting at his desk. The man was fairly middle-aged, with dark brown hair, and a small mustache and beard. He wore a gray dress shirt with a red plaid dress jacket, a matching plaid tie, and dark gray dress pants.

Principal Chrish looked up to see the Pines twin enter his domain and smiled kindly, in spite of Dipper's obvious nervousness.

"Ah, Mr. Pines, you've arrived. Please take a seat…" he offered, his tone sounding more gentler than Dipper had anticipated. Dipper carefully walked up to one of the big chairs sitting across from the principal. The boy gulped in worry.

"Principal Chrish, if I happened to have done something wrong, please, I can try and make up for what...I've…"

As Dipper tried to reason with the man to try and forgive for what he may or may not have done, the boy had reached up to his seat to notice another figure sitting in one of the chairs. Dipper's voice trailed off for a bit as he looked at the familiar, orange-haired, fancy-looking occupant with disbelief.

"Edward!? What are you doing here!?"

The snobby heir looked towards Dipper and scoffed lightly. "I could ask you the same thing…" he replied loftily, "Now, dear Principal Chrish, is there any real reason why I'm here? I have a polo game in an hour and my father does not approve of tardiness!"

Principal Chrish sighed at the young preppy teen's haughtiness. "I'll get to that soon, Mr. Viscount, just please settle down and I'll explain why you both are here…" he stated, his voice now becoming more serious.

And with that said, Dipper nervously and immediately sat down in the empty chair next to Edward, whom in return just glared at Dipper with annoyance. The principal coughed importantly before he began.

"The reason I've called you two gentlemen in today was because of a...disturbance that had occurred last Thursday…"

Dipper's eyes went wider than ever upon hearing that. Of course, he was referring to his encounter with Edward in the bathroom, which later ended up with a ripped-up farewell letter and a distressed Dipper running and crying in the halls. Now, Dipper seemed like he'd really be in trouble for having such an unwarranted episode.

Surprisingly, Edward seemed quiet and a tad clammy himself, but he still tried to remain nonplussed as Principal Chrish continued on.

"Now, I've gotten an anonymous tip from a pair of students this morning that apparently Mr. Viscount here started this little mess in the first place…" recalled the principal. He then looked towards Edward with a suspicious, stern glance.

"Is this true, young man?" he questioned ominously.

Even through feigning ignorance, Edward felt a lump grow in his throat that he could barely swallow. Having thought he could get away with terrorizing Dipper that day, he hadn't actually believed he be caught, but alas, here he was.

Regardless, Edward kept a stiff upper lip and did his best to keep his cool. "I haven't the foggiest idea on what you're implying, good sir…" he denied self-righteously.

Dipper rolled his eyes at that statement. It wouldn't have killed him to try and be humble for once? And as it seems, Principal Chrish wasn't that convinced himself as if he was reading Edward's mind.

"Hmm, I see…" he muttered simply, tapping his finger on his desk.

As a short wave of silence passed through the three, both boys grew worried as the principal got up from his seat and walked over to a small drawer behind him. He opened it up and retrieved an item in his hand. Principal Chrish turned back towards Edward with a sharp stare.

"Then explain this, young man…" he replied stoically. The item in his hand turned out to be a USB device.

At first, it didn't seem like that much to the boys, but as the man plugged in the small device into his computer and opened up a certain file, he immediately turned the monitor around towards the boys, revealing a video being played on-screen.

A video of Edward Viscount bullying and shoving Dipper Pines in the men's room.

Edward's eyes grew to the size of dinner saucers! He nearly wanted to faint on the spot right there. He really _was_ found out after all! Even Dipper looked stunned as well, but not to the extent of his snooty rival. Quite frankly, the bookish twin was somewhat glad that Viscount may actually get what was coming to him.

Principal Chrish still wasn't finished, however. "Thanks to our lead-in from two of our students, we've checked this security camera footage from the bathroom and from the looks of it, it would you've been trying to harass Mr. Pines here…" explained the man with a stern tone.

Edward gawked in terror. Had under better circumstances, Dipper would've freely chuckled at the hilariously-mortified expression Edward was giving right now, but he managed to keep it to himself. Paralyzed from shock and disbelief at this turn of events, Edward Viscount made sure to make his opinion loud and clear.

"B-B-But I'm innocent, I implore you! I was...just...playing around with young Dipsti-I mean young Dipper here!" Edward tried to reason through obvious falsities, "I-Isn't that right, old sport!?"

He playfully nudged Dipper's arm with a false, fearful smile, as if to save his own butt from trouble. Regardless, Dipper simply frowned and kept quiet, uncertain on what to say.

Luckily, the principal was able to cut in before things got hectic as he flashed a serious, yet somewhat warm expression towards Dipper.

"Mr. Pines…" he began carefully, "Tell me the truth. Is what Edward is saying true?"

Dipper gulped. As much as he detested being a tattletale, he knew he had to come clean. Had he told any more lies like he did last week, that'd just cause him to be in more trouble. At last, Dipper let his honest answer flow freely out his mouth.

"...No...no, it isn't, sir…"

Edward's hopeful smile instantly turned into an outrageously-aggravated scowl. This little commoner was really gonna have the nerve to rat him out? He got out of his seat and glared defiantly at Dipper.

"No!? What do you mean 'no', you little sneak!? I ought to-" Before Edward could manage to lay a finger on Dipper, Principal Chrish immediately cut in as he banged his fist on his table.

"Viscount! Enough! Sit down!" he barked, his civil volume now reaching military sergant levels of loud. Thankfully, it was enough for Edward to shut up and sit back down.

The principal exhaled tiredly and rubbed his forehead, before referring his attention back to Dipper. "As you were saying, Mason? Edward wasn't playing around with you?"

Dipper gulped and nodded. "Indeed, sir...all I was doing was going to the bathroom when suddenly, my folder falls down and my papers then scatter across the floor…"

Principal Chrish nodded back. "I see...it also seemed like Edward was trying to keep away one of these papers away from you according to our video footage. Now, if it's okay to ask, what _was_ this paper that Edward was keeping out of your reach?"

Dipper inhaled deeply. "...I-It was a letter I've received from Gravity Falls…" he answered simply.

Principal Chrish raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "Gravity Falls?"

Dipper nodded. "It's a town in rural Oregon. Me and my sister Mabel went there last summer. When we had to leave, our friends and family there gave us this letter with their names on it, as a farewell gift so that we wouldn't forget them…"

The principal nodded sympathetically. "I see…" he murmured softly, "And seemingly, according to the incident shown later on in the footage, Mr. Viscount here ripped up said letter?"

Dipper sat there in mild silence for a little bit. He looked back at Edward, who just gave him a grouchy, almost-warning look, before he looked back at Principal Chrish, who gave Dipper a serious, but kinder expression in return. Dipper inhaled deeply.

"Yes, sir...he did, sir…" he confirmed gently, much to Edward's rising annoyance.

"And also apparently, some time before that, is would appear that Edward shoved you and cause you to bump into the back of the bathroom stall, correct?" asked Principal Chrish gently.

Dipper nodded again. Although the pain from the impact wasn't nearly as bad as he felt from that Thursday, he still agreed that Edward did willingly do such an act regardless of the pain.

"Yes, sir…" he answered in a glum, honest tone.

That seemed to be enough for the principal to decide his final consensus onto this problem as he then sharply turned back at Edward with a stern, stoic face. Clearly, he had all the evidence he needed.

"Well, Edward, the evidence is all on the table. The footage has shown you assaulting another student and destroying another person's property, which is certainly an offense against student conduct…" explained the principal simply. Edward was outraged.

"Hold on! Why am _I_ being blamed for this! Pines here was caught in this little spat, as well! Why isn't he being punished!" snapped Edward furiously. Principal Chrish didn't flinch away from Edward's glare.

"Because, he didn't try to assault you." Chrish pointed out curtly, "Although, you two should both know that I do not condone any violence upon my school grounds, regardless on what the reason was that started said fight!" He craned his neck towards Dipper and sighed to try and calm himself.

"However, Mr. Pines, though I understand you were simply trying to defend yourself, I'll only let you off with a warning, seeing as how you're one of my more well-behaved students. But I'd rather not see another repeat offense like this, young man, understood?"

Dipper suddenly felt a tsunami of relief wash over his mind and body upon hearing that bit of news. He sighed gratefully and practically sunk into his chair in relaxation, knowing he wasn't in any further trouble.

"Yes, sir...thank you, sir…" breathed out Dipper thankfully. He was too relieved that he hadn't even noticed the disgusted and appalled expression Edward was flashing at him. Sadly, Principal Chrish wasn't through with the preppy teen however.

"But in regards to _you_ , Mr. Viscount…" stated the principal sharply, which caused Edward to flinch and give his full attention back to the man behind his desk. "You however were the first to try and assault Mr. Pines, and from the looks of it, it seems as if you've been tormenting Mr. Pines for a while, am I correct?"

Edward shivered in silence. Of course, what the principal was referring to was completely true, seeing as Edward adored to mock Dipper of his status, be it social or financial. However, the young heir was too shell-shocked to even say a syllable, out of fear of getting into more trouble. Unfortunately, this didn't sit well with Principal Chrish, as he only exhaled, preparing to

"Well, regardless...because of your actions of potentially harming a student, I'm afraid I'm going to have to suspend you, young man…" the principal finally proclaimed gravely.

Edward's eye twitched once, his brain nearly turning to mush at this revelation. Him? Suspended!? Naturally, this was not going to sit well with the haught heir.

"Dear principal, please, I-I can explain! I-"

* **BANG!** *

"Young Edward, what on Earth is going on here!?" spluttered a deep, posh-sounding voice.

The two kids and their principal turned and focused their attention on the incoming newcomer as he barged into the room importantly. It was a middle-aged man, tall and slightly pudgy with a gray toupee covering his balding, round head, as well as having a small, gray, triangle-shaped beard on his chin. The man was wearing an expensive-looking navy blue suit with a white dress shirt underneath the jacket, which was sporting an embroidered "E.V." on the right side of the jacket. He also wore matching dress pants, shiny black loafers and was carrying around a fancy, black walking cane with a derby handle.

The upscale gentleman was squinting his beady eyes towards Edward, with the boy in question trembling uncontrollably in his chair at the sudden sight of this man looming above them.

"Ah, your Mr. Edward Viscount II, then? Edward's father?" questioned Principal Chrish curiously. The posh man nodded and grunted.

"Indeed…" he hummed drolly, "Now, what's the reasoning that my son is here? Me and our chauffeur are waiting outside in the Bentley for him to come out!"

Principal Chrish coughed awkwardly, knowing he'd might as well break the news to Edward's father while he's here. "Well, my apologies, sir, but the reason why Edward is held back here is because he was terrorizing this student right here…" he explained carefully, gesturing towards the meek, male twin close by.

Dipper gulped and worriedly waved at the smartly-dressed man with a crooked smile. Mr. Viscount II gaped incredulously at the trio, before setting his sights straight towards his own offspring.

"Excuse me!?" he rumbled out. Edward Viscount III giggled and blushed nervously. Principal Chrish nodded.

"Well, apparently, our video cameras have caught footage of your son shoving around this boy here and was basically messing around with his stuff in one of the school bathrooms…" he explained, which caused Mr. Viscount II to become even more enraged.

"I see…" he rumbled softly, glaring daggers towards his son, who in question was still sitting in jittery silence. Then, he looked towards the equally-as-nervous Dipper sitting next to him. Mr. Viscount II raised a stern eyebrow.

"So, you're the student my son has harassed?" he asked simply.

Dipper shuddered slightly under the big man's stare, unable to get out a clear word right away. However, he still stayed truthful and managed to keep his cool.

He breathed in and out once again and looked back into the eyes of his rival's father's eyes. "Yes, sir…" he uttered out.

Mr. Viscount II nodded, his stern frown softening a bit and he gazed towards the brunette boy. "Well, child, I sincerely apologize for my son's rash behavior. I hope he hasn't done anything to severely harm you." he apologized, his grumbling and uppity tone sounding more softer than usual.

Dipper's lips curled into a tiny smile at this, happy to not that, at least, Edward's parent was more kinder and sympathetic than his own son. "I-It's okay, sir, really!" assured Dipper gently, "N-Not really any trouble at all…"

The posh father still seemed a tad concerned though. "Well, regardless, if it helps, then here…"

He then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a coupon. "This coupon is worth $25% off any suit jacket you purchase at Viscount's Discounts. Just a token of gratitude, so long as you don't mention this incident to the gentlemen down at the country club, of course!"

Dipper gave the man a funny look. He wasn't really sure he even needed a tuxedo, especially since _his_ father wasn't really at that keen on shopping at Viscount's anymore, but still, he decided to just grin and bear it as he kindly accepted Mr. Viscount's offer.

"Uh, thanks...sir?" he replied in a stilted voice. Mr. Viscount II nodded back and gave him a small smile before Principal Chrish cut in.

"Well, the thing is, sir, because of your son's behavior, I'm afraid I'll have to suspend him for his actions…" Just as those words left the principal's mouth, Mr. Viscount II gawked back towards his nerve-wracked son with an incredulous look.

" _Suspended!?_ " he rumbled, his volume loud and angry. Edward managed to find his voice again.

"Now, Father, I can explain!" he yelped out in reassurance, but his father wasn't really in the mood.

"Oh, you better, son!" snapped the wealthy patriarch, "And it better be a good one at that!"

Principal Chrish coughed to try and catch their attention. "Well, if it helps, we have the footage of what exactly happened, so if you want, sir, we could go over it together…" he explained kindly, referring to his computer screen. Mr. Viscount II still gave his son an irritated look, but complied nonetheless.

"Very well, then…" he murmured eerily, causing Edward III to gulp and shudder unhappily. The principal nodded and turned back to Dipper.

"You're free to go now, Mr. Pines. Sorry for the inconvenience…" ushered the principal kindly. Dipper took this as a chance to amscray while he still can before things got nasty, so he picked up his books and supplies and got ready to leave for home.

"Thank you, sir!" he replied gratefully, trying not to look at the seething, yet terrified Edward beside him. Principal Chrish nodded.

"Just remember, I'm letting you off with a warning this time!" reminded the man carefully, to which Dipper nodded back.

"I understand, sir! I'll keep my head down from now on, I promise!" stated Dipper with a small smile as he exited the principal's office, leaving the Viscounts to deal with their own problem on their own.

The brunette boy gave out a heavy sigh in relief, happy to know he wasn't in real trouble. Should his parents find out he was suspended for his little episode, they'd _really_ be upset with him, even if he was still grounded for a month. Still, DIpper took in solace knowing that he was somehow in the clear as he walked past the secretary and was ready to go home.

Although, judging by the booming sounds he heard from the principal's office, mostly likely coming from Edward's father, Dipper knew this may not end pretty for his high-society rival in the end...

* * *

A little bit later, Dipper had finally trotted out of the office. After that whole encounter, he was quite exhausted and just wanted to go back home to rest. Still, in his mind, he hoped Mabel wouldn't have been too worried about his disappearance.

Thankfully, he hadn't to fret about that as a familiar brown-haired girl wearing a rainbow-colored sweater ran up to him, nearly scaring him to death as she immediately brought him in a tight hug.

"Dipper!" cried out Mabel, "I heard your name on the intercom! What happened!? Are you in trouble!?" Dipper gently eased her down from her worrying.

"Mabel, calm down! Everything's fine actually!" he reassured with a small smile. Mabel ceased her jabbering and managed to settle down a bit as she let go of the hug.

"Y-You're not in trouble?" she questioned curiously. Dipper shook his head.

"Nope. Principal Robert had gotten word about Viscount bullying me last week and everything must have caught up to him." explained Dipper with a shrug. "He also stated that Edward's now suspended for his actions…"

Mabel giggled back at that bit of news. "Well, it serves him right for messin' with my bro-bro!" she chuckled as she patted his back proudly. Dipper chuckled back, but slightly weaker than Mabel's.

"Heh-heh, yeah...apparently, the principal gotten a tip from two other students ratting out Edward and explaining what happened…" said Dipper off-handedly.

Suddenly, realization struck Dipper at that moment. The two students may have been anonymous, but perchance, could one of these students be someone he already knows? He decided to venture further with this as he turned fully towards his sister.

"Mabel…?" he asked carefully, "D-Did you rat out Edward?"

Mabel raised an eyebrow and grew worried. "I-I didn't say anything, Dip." she explained confusedly, "I spoke with these two kids who usually hang out with Edward at lunch. And like I said on Saturday, I've tried to get answers from Edward, but he wasn't budging!"

Dipper scratched his chin and pondered for a minute. "Well, then possibly these two kids must've told Principal Robert about the situation...but then again, who could these guys be anyway?" he asked curiously to himself.

"Well, why don't you ask those guys yourselves?" came an unknown, helpful voice.

The twins turned their heads at the source of that sound to see two smiling boys walk up towards them. And judging by the separate blonde and red hair colors these two were sporting, it didn't take long for Dipper and Mabel to recognize them. Their eyes went wide out of bafflement.

"...Y-You guys ratted Viscount out?" gasped Dipper in surprise. The duo nodded in return.

"Pretty much so, yep…" confirmed the redhead coolly. Dipper was still quite puzzled.

"B-But why?" he cried out in response, "I thought you hung out with the kid!" The blonde boy coughed awkwardly.

"Well...only by choice…" explained the blonde kid nervously, "We only hung around Viscount to make it seem like we could be cool kids, you know...we honestly never really believe or go through with whatever that guy is saying…"

The redhead chuckled. "Yeah, it's always 'commoners' this and 'pip pip cheerio' that with him, and then there's the 'poor people are lower than slime' schtick he keeps yapping about!" chortled the redhead as he put on his best, exaggerated snooty-British voice ever, which did prompt a good-natured laugh from the group, including Dipper.

However, their laughter was cut short when the door leading to the principal's office swung open and revealing a livid Edward Viscount II dragging his distressed son out of the door. Edward III whined and begged to his father to try and see some sense, but his father was have absolutely none of this as he gripped his jacket collar and led him towards the school's entrance.

"Father, please, I beg of you! It was all mere tomfoolery was all! I never meant to harm the kid, really!" shrieked Edward unhappily, much to his father's ire.

"I did not raise my son to behave uncouthly to other students" he scoffed, not caring to hear another word from his son.

"I wasn't being uncouth! I was simply going by my grandfather's words that 'poor people aren't fit for this world!'" reminded Edward hastily. Mr. Viscount rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Honestly, young man! You shouldn't take everything what that man says to heart! I swear, it seems every school we go to, you always wind up causing trouble for others!" rumbled the father sternly. Edward frowned deeply and tried to release himself from his grasp/

"But it's the truth I tell you!" Edward tried to cry out. He then noticed Dipper and Mabel close by noticing his little episode, along with two familiar cronies joining with them. Edward then decided to snag some sympathy from them as well.

"Y-You two believe me, don't you!?" he gasped out to the redhead and blonde, "D-Don't you!?"

The redhead pondered mockingly for a second and hummed to himself. "Hmm, I dunno, Eddie...quite frankly, ya should've seen it coming…" he mused cheekily.

"Yeah!" chortled his friend, "Good thing two certain guys managed to give the principal a little tip about your little run-in last week…". He capped off his statement by smugly slapping a high-five with his redhead chum.

Edward stared off in disbelief, as if the wheels in his head were turning, trying to process what his former cohorts were talking about. Then, something suddenly clicked in his mind.

" _YOU_ TWO WERE THE ONES WHO SNITCHED ON ME!?" he screeched incredulously. The two kids smirked and lead back a chuckle.

"Maybe yes...maybe no…" teased the redhead coyly, with his blonde friend

At this point, Edward was straight up ready to throttle someone's neck. He furiously tried again to release himself from his father's grip, but it was no use as the wealthy man securely kept a firm hold on his jacket as he forcefully yanked Edward back before he could do anymore damage.

" _Edward Viscount III, that is_ _ **enough!**_ " he shouted crossly at the preppy teen, giving him such a nasty, unamused glare, "After your boorish actions today, I believe we should consider having you attend a different school!"

Edward trembled slightly at the threat. The four other kids standing across from the sidelines simply watched with amusement. With the righteous fury his father was giving him, they'd almost feel sorry for the poor kid at this point.

...Almost…

Edward gulped, hoping to find some sort of silver lining to this outcome. "Y-Y-You mean to another boarding school, right?" he asked endearingly. Sadly, his hopes were crumbled to dust as his father gave him such a haunting look in return.

Mr. Viscount II sneered threateningly. "No, son! You'll still be going to a _military_ school!" he answered back sternly.

As if he was hit with fifteen separate Vietnam flashbacks in a row, Edward's face paled white in absolute terror. His pupils shrunk to tiny dots, he felt a massively nauseating feeling in his gut, and he nearly felt the need to get a conniption. He was now going to be toiling away at some loud, brash, rogue military school? It was all too much for Edward to stomach. It was especially heart-wrenching as he distinctly heard Dipper, Mabel, and his former "friends" giggling like mad close by.

"...Y-Y-You w-w-wouldn't…" the boy whimpered out pathetically. Mr. Viscount scowled back at him.

"I _can_ and I just _did!_ " he confirmed harshly, "I send you here to try and work on this highfalutin attitude of your's and clearly that isn't doing any wonders for you! Mayhaps military school could try and shape you up for the better, young man! Ugh, just wait until your mother hears about this!"

Poor, silent, traumatized Edward felt his eye twitch like mad as Mr. Viscount continued to drag him away out of the school, too frozen to even react to his red and blonde-haired companions smugly waving "goodbye" to him. However, the father hadn't left the building, not before letting one more tiny, little detail come clear for Edward as they rounded a corner towards the exit.

"And you can forget about being the heir to my tuxedo franchise, young man!"

It was then when the foursome jumped in surprise as the gargled sound of distressed, prolonged screams echoed across the halls, proving that evidently, the now-former heir wasn't taking this news along very well. Still, that didn't stop the four from sharing another laugh as Edward's horrified screams trailed off in the distance.

"Well, heh, that was something…" commented Dipper lightly as the laughter simmered down.

"Yeah, serves the kid right, though…" smarmed the redhead back, before something popped in his head, "Oh, crud, we should probably introduce ourselves. My name's Aaron, and this is Rob…" he introduced kindly. The blonde, now named Rob, smiled and immediately shook Dipper's hand.

"Pleased to meet ya!" he chirped, nearly jostling Dipper around with his strong handshake. Nevertheless, Dipper smiled.

"Nice to meet you, guys…" smiled the male twin, as his sister stood back and grinned widely, "Uh...thanks again for helping out with all this...y'know...stuff with Viscount."

Aaron shrugged. "No biggie. We're just sorry for not doing it any sooner, had we known he was gonna cause so much grief to ya…"

Rob spoke up again. "We were, uh, also hoping to try find you last week to apologize to you, Dipper, for us not trying to keep Viscount under reigns, y'know…" he admitted meekly. The redhead agreed as he rubbed his arm shyly.

"We honestly never meant any harm to you...we were just trying to get noticed was all…" sighed Aaron guiltily.

Rob coughed nervously. "You, uh, think you could ever forgive us for being so dumb, Dipper?"

The two boys certainly weren't expecting for Dipper to forgive them (or at the very least, right away), so it came as a bit of a shock when they saw the Pines twin in question slowly smile at them, coupled with this phrase that mildly surprised the duo.

"It's okay, guys...I forgive you…"

Rob and Aaron gawked at Dipper weirdly. "You do?" they asked quizzically. Dipper nodded with a empathetic smile.

"You only did it just to try and fit in with the hip crowd. Admittedly, if _I_ was in your shoes, I'd pretty much do the same thing...but as of now…" Dipper then pulled Mabel close to him in a side hug, as he grinned and gave her a subtle wink.

"Well, basically, I'm content knowing I'm surrounded by friends and family who do care about me…" he earnestly stated, his sincerity enough to bring a huge smile to Mabel's face.

Aaron and Rob smiled at Dipper humbly showing off his dexterity, although one certain tidbit seemed to be floating around in their minds. For quite some time, they only seemed to be sitting in the sidelines, trying to ride the coattails of more popular students to get noticed more by the student body, with little to no results. They both didn't have a large group of friends themselves, so even though were had good intentions, they now saw that following a bad crowd doesn't mean they be more respected.

And with that said, they knew they had to make amends to Dipper, to at least try and become _actual_ friends with someone more kinder, aside from being "allies" to some foppish jerk. Luckily, both boys seemed to share this thought as Rob spoke up with an awkward stutter.

"S-So, if any case, i-is it cool with you that if we can...you know...start all over and try to be friends?" offered Rob timidly, his tone sounding quite guilty and genuine.

Dipper stood there silent for a minute. His mind soon began processing all of this. He himself didn't really have any friends here at school, especially not an abundance that his sister Mabel has at the moment. He was bookish and shy, and try as he might, he never seemed to land a good friend here for quite some time. And yet right now, here standing before him were two boys, actually wanting to be his friends?

Although it almost sounded too good to be true, and that Rob and Aaron did sincerely feel sorry for their actions, Dipper was absolutely more than happy to take them up on their offer!

He extended his hand in gratitude and gave both boys a welcoming, thankful grin.

"Absolutely!" he confirmed with unabashed glee. His response came in the form of two equally friendly smiles from Aaron and Rob as they each graciously accepted his handshake.

Mabel, meanwhile, couldn't help but to squee happily at this sweet scene. Her timid, awkward twin brother now managed to muster the courage to make his first true set of friends, not in Gravity Falls, but in Piedmont, a place where Dipper thought he'd never find an acceptable friend! It was almost too much for Mabel to handle!

"Oooh, this is so exciting!" she squealed happily, "My bro-bro is making friends here in school! Ohh, I'm so proud of ya, Dipper!" she then unexpectedly gave Dipper a big, sisterly grin and hug combo, with her blushing brother in question chuckling out of both embarrassment and joy.

A sudden thought sprang up in Mabel's mind as she let go of Dipper. "Oh, geez, where's my manners?" she said as she too offered a handshake to Rob and Aaron.

"My name's Mabel!" she introduced in her usual, exuberant demeanor, "Any friend of Dipper's is a friend of mine!"

Rob was first to kindly accept her handshake. "Nice to meet ya, Mabel!" he chimed as Aaron was next in line.

"Indeed…" mused Aaron in a weirdly coy fashion, "Enthralled to meet a young lady such as yourself." he suavely remarked. Mabel giggled at his compliment with a slight blush.

"Oh, stop it, you…" she tittered with a wave of her hand. Dipper stood back and playfully rolled his eyes. Even when she's planning to be more attentive, she can still be as boy-crazy as she always was.

Even Rob couldn't help but to smirk at his friend's performance. "Okay, slow your roll, Romeo…" he eased down to his redheaded chum, "No need to make our first meeting awkward…"

Aaron coughed to himself, knowing he may have gotten a tas carried away. "Er, right…" he uttered with a blush. Luckily, the ice was broken enough for the group to break into friendly, good-humored laughter once again, all while sporting joyous smiles…

...with Dipper's being the biggest grin he'd shown in some time…

However, before the four kids could partake any more friendly merry-making, the quick buzz from Mabel's smartphone indicted she had gotten a text. She pulled out her device and nearly fell over once she saw who was texting her.

:DAD: _Waiting outside. Where are u guys?_ :

Mabel gasped in surprise as her eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. She frantically tried to grab hold of Dipper's vest, sputtering and stammering on the spot while trying to get her words out.

"D-D-Dipper! Mom and Dad are here! We gotta go!" she yipped, causing Dipper to immediately shift gears as well.

"Oh, geez!" he cried out, hiking up his supplies in his hands before he looked back towards his new friends, "Sorry, guys, but we gotta split!"

The two boys nodded in understanding as the twins were ready to head back outside. "Gotcha! If ya guys want, we can all try and meet up again to hang out at some point!" called Aaron kindly.

Even with himself and his sister now raring to leave, Dipper felt his world slightly paus of a brief moment. These kids actually _wanted_ to hang out with him now? Now, it really sounded too good to be true. Luckily, his sister was there to help get his head on straight as she was now dragging his frozen state away towards the school exit.

"Sounds great, guys! We'll see ya soon!" confirmed Mabel with a friendly, though hasty smile as she and Dipper soon sprinted away, waving goodbye to their new friends as they disappeared, with Aaron and Rob happily waving back.

And as the plucky twins both rounded the corner and jogged outside towards the busy pick-up area, Dipper couldn't help but to smile broadly at the mere occurrence that just happened a few minutes ago.

He managed to gain two new friends here in Piedmont, a place where he'd never thought he's belong in, as opposed to Gravity Falls, somewhere that he could fit in better in comparison. Although he still may be seen as a nobody to the rest of the school's populace, they may be some sliver of hope that Dipper can branch out and actually succeed in getting friends here rather than in Oregon.

It seemed like a great sensation, but for now, Dipper was content to know he had successfully managed to make two, genuine friends...

And quite frankly, he wouldn't have it any other way...

* * *

"So, that boy's really going to military school, then?"

Mabel nodded rapidly at her dad's question. "Yep! And Edward's dad also took his heir thingy taken away from him!" she giggled, as her brother also couldn't help but to chuckle alongside her from the backseat of the car..

"Yeah, you've should've seen his face when his father even mentioned 'military school'! I thought he was gonna throw up!" replied Dipper, causing Mabel to break into another giggle fit.

"It was so hilarious!" squealed the girl, "You guys should've been there!" Kristen sat in the passenger side, wrinkling her brow in sympathy as even she managed to muster some smidgen of concern she had for Edward.

"Well, regardless of his...questionable actions, I just pray he at least winds up okay. I'd hate to see someone suffer through something as brutal as military school." she replied in a somewhat-worried tone, before sighing to himself, "Oh well...I suppose this'll show him the error of his way, right, honey?" she asked to her husband.

Unfortunately, Jason, on the other hand, was too busy finding the situation somewhat funny as he was currently trying his best to hold back his chuckles. Thankfully, one annoyed look from his wife was enough to cease his immature actions.

"Ahem, er, uh, right, d-dear…" spluttered out Jason from behind the wheel, "B-But still, I'm at least glad you didn't get in any trouble with the principal, son…"

Dipper exhaled softly in relief. "You're tellin' me, Dad…"

Then, in a more softer, more guilty tone of voice, he spoke back up to his parents. "Uh...guys?"

Kristen turned back from her seat again as Jason carefully peeked through the car's rear-view mirror. "Yes, son?" they asked curiously.

Dipper gulped gently and began to ease his troubled mind as he rubbed his left arm shyly. "I-I know all the apologies I can make probably won't make up for what I did on Saturday, but...I really am sorry for what I did. I clearly wasn't thinking straight and I only thought that running away...you know...would've benefited more for you guys…"

Jason and Kristen looked at each other briefly, their expressions worried, yet understanding. Kristen then looked back to her offspring.

"Oh, sweetie, we know things can be tough for you, but you have to know that running away is absolutely not the answer to one's problems…" explained Kristen in her usual motherly, careful demeanor. Jason nodded.

"You're mother's right, son…" agreed Jason, as his voice suddenly became more quiet, "We'd be crushed if something had happened to you."

Dipper sat in the car in humble silence. Saturday had proved to be a hectic turn of events for not only him, but for his sister and parents as well. While he didn't originally intend to hurt anyone in his plan, he did wind up hurting his family emotionally, and at that moment, Dipper knew his actions when indeed askew and no matter how much he still misses his allies in the Falls, he still had a life here in Piedmont.

Luckily, his parents were sure to knock this bit of knowledge straight into his mind.

"What we're trying to say, sweetie, is that we all love you, and we want to help you out with whatever is bothering you…" assured Kristen in her unwaveringly motherly nature.

Jason smiled and looked back through the rear-view to his children again. "Indeed…" he confirmed, "If you ever feel the need to talk about anything personal, we are all hear to listen to you. Just please don't keep your feelings hidden from us, okay?"

Dipper felt his smile slowly return to his face. Albeit a sad, _slightly_ unsure smile, but Dipper was still happy to know that his family certainly did want to look out for him and to help him with his troubles. The mere thought that maybe he wasn't a burden after all made the young adventurer's heart flutter with joy and relief. He exhaled thankfully in his seat.

"Thanks, guys...thanks for everything…" he muttered warmly.

"However, mister, this doesn't mean we are ungrounding you, you know…" reminded Jason in a stern tone of voice. Dipper's smile faltered a bit, almost forgetting that his grounding was still in play.

He winced softly to himself. "I know…" he admitted with a glum shrug. Kristen noticed his depressed tone and decided to shed a bit of light onto his predicament.

"Oh, sweetie, I know you're upset throughout all this. We don't like having to ground you, but it is for the best. But trust us, the month will go by faster before you know it…" she replied tenderly. Jason nodded and smiled.

"I agree," he said, "and besides, you and Mabel will still be able to see your friends and family again in Gravity Falls next summer!"

And finally, in came Mabel as she slung a sisterly arm around Dipper's shoulder, while giving him a broad smile. "Mom and Dad are right, bro-bro! We'll still be having lots of fun together...as twin brothers and sisters should…" she confirmed with a proud, joyful grin.

It was at this point where Dipper nearly shedded a tear from the kind reassurance he was receiving all at this moment. While it may take a little while longer for him to accept that he wasn't a hassle to his family, he still was grateful to know he'll still receive enough love here in his hometown while he was still miles away from Gravity Falls. True, he may still consider Gravity Falls as his more proper home, but he was still content to be with the ones he does care about here, especially with his twin sister.

His point was made just as clear as he too wrapped a caring arm around Mabel's waist, returning her kind smile as he gazed into her cheer-filled eyes.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Mabel…" Dipper answered back to her, his tone and smile both equally as bright and loving.

That only caused Mabel to grow her already-wide smile as she immediately leaned over to hug Dipper, which he graciously returned. Jason and Kristen looked back at the twins with warm, proud, and knowing looks of their faces as they continued down the street, both happy that their children's bond were still holding up strongly. And as they were nearing home, Dipper had one last thought swimming about in his mind as he unashamedly kept hugging Mabel tightly.

' _Maybe my family's right...maybe this month_ will _go by fast…_ ' he humbly thought to himself as he and his family headed down the road towards home, as the weekday sun shone clearly down across the town of Piedmont.

 **TO BE CONCLUDED...**

* * *

 **And that ends another chapter, everyone!**

 **Basically, this chapter was to make sure Edward wasn't going to get away scot-free with his actions, as evident with his encounter with both the principal and his own father. Admittedly, I feel that maybe I went a** _ **tad**_ **harsh on him, what with the whole military school angle, and then having Edward lose his position as heir to the Viscount tuxedo shop throne, but hey, I guess he got what was coming to him...**

 **A few more references I spliced in with some of the characters; Principal Chrish is meant to be modelled after the show's creator, Alex Hirsch. His last name "Chrish" is an anagram to "Hirsch", only so I could try and be subtle with the obvious name placement.**

 **In addition, the previously-unnamed boys are now given names; the redhead being "Aaron" after episode director Aaron Springer, and the blonde "Rob" is named after show producer Rob Renzetti. I essentially wanted both their personalities to that they are best friends with each other, both certainly well-meaning, but they do want to feel popular and noticeable in some way. Individually, Aaron's more of a suave and cool-minded doer, while Rob is a somewhat reserved follower who tries to also keep Aaron's ladies-man persona under reigns.**

 **Now, don't worry, folks, we still have an epilogue to wrap things up, where we get to see Dipper sort-of "reunite" with a certain friend from the Falls! Who that friend is, I don't wanna spoil! ;)**

 **Thanks a ton for reading, favoriting, and reviewing so far, guys! Hope everything was to your likings and I'll catch you all soon in our final and hopefully not-as-lengthy chapter, "The Nightly Chat"! This chapter shouldn't take too, too long, as I'm hoping to get this story all wrapped up before the new year, but still, I'll see you all soon! :D**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


	8. Epilogue: The Nightly Chat

**THE ENDING HAS FINALLY COMETH MY BOYS AND GIRLS!**

 **After four months of blood, sweat, tears (oh, so many tears), "Saudade" has come to a close!**

 **Firstly, I'd like to extend my sincerest thanks to the people who've favorited and followed "Saudade" as of the time this chapter was posted: New Yorktown, THIS DELETED ACCOUNT, LK2, Williebadger618, abbydobbie, emyy250, DwemerSteelBlade, and fatima damien.**

 **I'd also like to thank New Yorktown, Williebadger618, DwemerSteelBlade, Ahmed Samy, and the various other guest accounts for their kind, positive reviews and very insightful notices regarding the story's tone and how to handle Mabel's character, as well as her relationship with Dipper.**

 **And lastly, I'd like to thank the mysterious-guest-person-human being-organism for sharing his or her idea for this story! Hope you've enjoyed the story! ;)**

 **So for now, let's cap off this story with a semi-short (in comparison to the other chapters) epilogue!**

 **Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun). Also, the lyrics to the song "Love You in the Fall" belong to Paul Westerberg.**

* * *

 **SAUDADE**

 **EPILOGUE: THE NIGHTLY CHAT**

As it turned out, Kristen Pines was certainly right when she said that the month was going to fly by fast. As it was now October and Dipper's grounding was now officially cleared up, the young boy was free to gain access to his electrical devices as he pleases, not that it _really_ bothered the bookish twin too much, though. Since then, Dipper seemed to have felt a massive weight being lifted off of his self-conscious.

He seemed and felt a lot more...fulfilled and cleansed than he was before.

While he still missed being in Gravity Falls, he now knew that his getaway plan that one dreadful weekend wasn't exactly the best idea he'd ever had and that maybe he shouldn't have been so hasty upon wanting to return there right away. He took his family's words to heart and wanted to follow through with them as best as he could.

He was especially happy to know that Mabel was still going to stay by his side throughout to help him feel better. Although her actions regarding Bill Cipher and Weirdmageddon were quite foolhardy and unforgivable, he still loved Mabel deep within his heart and was still excited to join with her on more fun adventures in Gravity Falls next summer.

On terms of school, he still kept up with his school work as normal, but the major difference was that now, he managed to make two new and true friends in the form of Aaron and Rob, Edward Viscount's former companions. The three always found themselves hanging out after school, cracking jokes and telling stories of their lives. The two boys found Dipper and his love for discovery to be quite an interesting, but in the good way as Dipper would sometimes mention some neat discoveries he made during his summer at Gravity Falls (he managed to not mention the more superfluous or mystical creatures he and Mabel had discovered though, lest his new friends call him 'a crazy liar', though).

But still, the trio became close friends within the month, much to Mabel's pride and joy at seeing Dipper have finally make friends here in their hometown. And with Viscount officially gone, the two boys can be free from trying to be lackeys and instead be themselves instead. One day, Aaron and Rob even managed to catch a glance at Dipper's birthmark by accident. At first, Dipper was frightened that they'd be put off or disgusted by it, but he was both relieved and surprised to hear that they actually thought it looked pretty cool!

Regardless, Dipper and even Mabel had an absolute blast hanging with them, with Dipper finally feeling just as open-hearted and sociable here than he was in Gravity Falls. He also felt as happy knowing that Aaron and Rob too genuinely enjoyed his company as well, proving that the shy, awkward, and curious Dipper PInes actually _can_ make a sincere friend in plaid old Piedmont.

Sure, while Dipper may still think that Piedmont may not be as interesting as Gravity Falls can be, he now slowly began to appreciate it a bit more than he had before. Maybe it wasn't his ideal home, but with having his spritely twin sister, his loving parents, and his two new friends by his side, Dipper at least knew that regardless if he was in California or in Oregon, he'd never be alone and he would always be loved no matter what.

* * *

" _So, that Edward dude really wound up getting sent to military school then?_ "

It was on one crisp Friday night where Dipper, now donning his bedtime clothes and lying across his bed, a smart tablet in both hands and he was currently video chatting with a certain old friend of his back in Gravity Falls. Dipper chuckled and couldn't help but to smile at that vivid memory from a month ago.

"Yep! You really should've seen him when his dad dragged him out of the school. And when he said that Edward was going to lose his heirship to his dad's tuxedo franchise, Edward nearly went ballistic!" chortled Dipper. The ruby red-haired girl on the video screen also managed to snort out a good-natured laugh.

" _HA! Oh, man! That's almost too much, dude!_ " she giggled cheekily. Dipper shook his head and chuckled lightly.

"You're telling me. However, I guess it does serve him right. Guy was a complete snob…" he responded back. His older friend had finished her laughing fit and smiled back sympathetically.

" _Heh, I'll say,_ " she replied, " _Dude sounds more worse than Pacifica…_ "

Dipper rolled his eyes and smirked. "Please. Pacifica has twice as much sympathy than Edward does. Oh! By the way, how is Pacifica doing over there? Are her and her parents doing okay?"

" _Actually, they're doing pretty decent! Pacifica went as far as to take up a few jobs around Gravity Falls to earn some cash. I saw her busing and cleaning tables at Lazy Susan's diner and she's also delivering newspapers on the weekends as well! She and her folks now live in a small apartment near downtown, but so far, they seem to be more close than ever!_ "

Dipper smiled happily at that bit of news, glad to hear his former enemy-turned-ally was actually doing pretty well in spite of losing her wealth and home. "That's great to hear!" he stated with a smile, "Still surprised to see Pacifica actually having a job though…"

" _Heh, I am, too. But I guess it was bound to happen someday...I'm just sorry about what Edward kept being such a jerk to you, Dipper. And ruining your farewell letter? That was just plain terrible, dude…_ "

Dipper frowned sadly at the mere mention of the twins' tarnished letter, which was now taped up on the back wall between his and Mabel's bed. Dipper looked at the letter with wistful, somber eyes, knowing that despite his shoddy attempt to fix it, his cherished memory of a summer long gone mostly likely wouldn't be fixed to its former glory.

"Yeah…" he murmured quietly, looking forlornly at the letter, as if it was staring right back at him. Still, he tried not to dwell on that for long as he looked back at his crimson-haired friend through the screen.

"B-But, everything's okay so far, though. Really!" he replied reassuringly, despite the raised eyebrow he received from her.

" _Are you sure, dude? 'Cuz when I talked to Mabel earlier, she said you were kinda upset and nervous for quite some time…_ "

Dipper gulped to himself, figuring Mabel would mention about his little escapade to someone, but he still kept his cool. "Y-Yeah, i-it's just that...well...I…"

" _It's just what, Dipper? Don't worry, you can tell me…_ "

Dipper calmed down from the helpful, comforting voice from behind the screen and inhaled deeply. "It's just that I miss you guys in Gravity Falls, you know. All the fun we've had and the adventures and good times...I-I just miss having them…"

Then, in a low, sad voice, he said "And I miss you, too, Wendy. You and Soos and Grunkles Stan and Ford and everyone else…"

Wendy Corduroy slowly flashed Dipper a small, understanding, sad smile back, as she placed her hand on her screen, as if to try to comfort from the other side. " _I miss you, too, Dipper…_ " she replied sincerely, " _You_ and _Mabel. So far, the Falls seem kinda boring without you guys around right now…_ "

Dipper slowly smiled back and touched his hand on his screen before Wendy's, happy to know she too had missed him. "Thanks, Wendy," he smiled sadly, "I just wish summer could get here already…"

" _I do, too..._ " replied Wendy in sympathy, " _But trust me, it'll be here sooner than you may think. Soon, we'll all have more new and fun adventures together. You, me, Mabel, Soos, your Grunkles, Pacifica, everyone! Heh-heh, hopefully we won't have to deal with anymore evil, supernatural beings next summer though…_ "

Dipper chuckled along with Wendy, knowing fully well what she was meaning by. The two laughed good-heartedly for a while until a brash, loud voice from Wendy's end startled the both of them, Wendy in particular.

" _WENDY! I NEED YOUR HELP BRINGING IN THIS FIREWOOD!_ "

" _Ah, geez. Coming, Dad!_ " cried Wendy from the other end, before flashing an apologetic frown towards her friend, " _Sorry, dude. I gotta help my dad out…_ "

Dipper, despite feeling disappointed, still gave her a kind smile. "Oh, uh, okay. Uh...speaking to you next weekend?" he asked kindly. Wendy's bright smile practically answered his question as she tipped her (or rather formerly his) hat at him and gave him a friendly wink.

" _Absolutely, dude!_ " she confirmed happily, " _See ya around, Dipper!_ "

Dipper waved goodbye with a sad smile. "See ya!" he replied, just before Wendy ended the call, leaving Dipper's tablet screen to go black. Dipper felt his smile falter a bit as reality seemed to clearly settle in his mind.

"See ya…" he repeated, more quietly and more sadly this time. Although Dipper was still completely unsure if he still harbored any romantic feelings for Wendy, that didn't mean he still didn't miss her very much. Even if his dream to be with her as a couple, he still longed to be with one of his closest and most dearest friends yet again, but he knew he wouldn't be able to actually hang with her for months to come.

He decided to try and not think about that for now as he then switched over to a music playlist on the tablet and pressed "play", starting up the song list. However, just as he plugged in his ear buds, a gentle rapping at the door soon caught his attention before he could begin to listen to anything.

"Come in!" he called out, as he took off his ear buds. The door carefully creaked open to reveal a familiar girl wearing a long, lavender night shirt and with a small, brace-clad smile on her face. Dipper smiled in return upon seeing who this girl was, even through the dimly-lit bedroom.

"Hey, Mabel…" greeted Dipper gently. Mabel shyly entered through the doorway and flashed him a friendly smile.

"Hi, Dipper!" she chirped as she sauntered up to his bed, "Everything okay, bro?"

Dipper rolled his eyes and shot Mabel a soft smile. "I'm fine, Mabel," he answered knowingly, "I know you want to be more attentive, Mabes, but you don't have to ask if I'm doing okay every five minutes…"

Mabel's reply was simply a playful smirk. "Well, bro-bro, I only do it because I care…" she said as she joined Dipper on the bed, "That and because so I'd know if you were planning to run away again…"

Dipper's smirk slowly faded away from Mabel's reminder, despite the teasy tone she was giving him. However, it wasn't long until Mabel's face fell as she gazed into his eyes worriedly.

"You _aren't_ planning on running away again though, are ya?" she asked carefully to him.

In spite of the concerned look Mabel was casting him, Dipper's face morphed into a more warmer, genuine smile as he leaned back up and slung a brotherly arm around her waist.

"Trust me, Mabel. I'm not planning on doing such a thing, I've certainly learned my lesson." he replied simply and proudly, all while looking her squarely in the eyes. Mabel beamed and sighed in relief.

"That's good to hear…" she smiled. Suddenly, she realized something, "Ooh, I heard you were talking with Wendy on HeadClock, how's everything back at the Falls?

Dipper beamed at his sister. "Everything's going great, actually!" he answered, "She mentioned that Soos and his girlfriend Melody are running the Mystery Shack and that Grunkles Stan and Ford are out on some sort of trip to make more discoveries around the area!"

Mabel's eyes shone with curiosity. "Ooh, really!?"

Dipper nodded. "Yep! Wendy also said that Stan and Ford are still planning to return back to Oregon again after their trip, so they'll still be residing at the Shack with Soos and Melody! And then she mentioned about Robbie and Tambry actually doing very well as a couple so far, Grenda and Candy are starting their new semester at school, and Pacifica is actually working to help her and her parents get by…"

Mabel held back a chuckle. "Pacifica is actually working!?" she asked in amused disbelief. Dipper chuckled in return.

"I know, I was surprised, too. But still, she's actually doing great so far, just like everyone is!" confirmed the male twin, prompting a thankful smile from his sister. However, Mabel's smile drooped a tad once she noticed Dipper 's own glum expression.

Mabel blinked and frowned in worry. "Dipper? A-Are you okay?" she asked, placing a caring hand on his shoulder. Dipper's eyes glanced back at her before he exhaled sadly.

"I dunno…" murmured Dipper demurely, "I guess I'd...well...I'd be lying if I said I still didn't miss them, you know?"

Mabel smiled in sympathy and hugged Dipper's side for a while. "I miss them, too, bro-bro…" she murmured, "But, we'll all be back together in the summer again...trust me, Dipper…"

Dipper turned his head towards her and gave her a small, thankful smile, before Mabel's own smile went from assuring to somewhat knowing and a bit teasy.

"And I suppose you miss Wendy as well?" she asked innocently, "Maybe a bit more than the others?"

Dipper's lips went into a straight line. He somehow knew Mabel was gonna bring up his crush on Wendy again, even if was meant to be an innocent ribbing, but still, he decided to just come clean about his feelings and to get it over with.

"...M-Maybe...I guess…I-I...uh..."

Dipper stammered for a while, unable to piece together the right words to answer back to Mabel. Thankfully, she was able to decipher through his stutters, as if she was reading his befuddled mind.

"You still have feelings for her, I suppose?" she asked, her tone less teasy and more curious and knowing. Dipper nearly found himself hemming and hawing at this innocent question, unsure on how to answer it clearly.

"Maybe...probably...I don't know, to be honest…" he admitted, almost shamefully, "I know Wendy said that it may be best that we'd stay just as friends, but I still can't help to find her to be the most beautiful and kindest girl I've ever met. She's one of the few girls that would consider me as...normal…"

Dipper half-expected for Mabel to either tell him to get over it or to be annoyed or disappointed for him still possibly falling for Wendy. He hung his head in sadness, before he felt Mabel's lovingly drape an arm around his shoulder again, where Dipper looked up and looked in surprise upon seeing Mabel smile understandingly at him.

"Aw, Dipper…" cooed Mabel in sympathy, "You _are_ normal! Some people at school are just a bunch of dumb meanies. You're smart and kind and brave, they just don't understand, you know. Not like me...I _know_ that you are an awesome person...and an even awesomer twin brother…"

Dipper felt his lips tug slightly into a small, sad smile from hearing Mabel's kind words. "R-Really?" he asked softly.

Mabel nodded with a brace-filled smile. "Really!" she confirmed, "And on terms of Wendy, I know it's kinda hard to try and forget your true love, but I assure you, Dipper. You will be able to love out there in this world. I know I can be really boy-crazy at times, but that doesn't mean you should be lonely forever...and besides, maybe sometime in the future, maybe you and Wendy may hit it off as a couple!"

Dipper took Mabel's words to heart, secretly uncertain about Wendy deciding to be with him, but feeling assured that even he could still have a chance to find love, but he still wanted to make sure. "You really mean that, Mabel?" he asked gently.

"Absolutely!" chirped Mabel, "Besides...I'd be lying if I said that you and Wendy wouldn't have made a cute couple…"

Dipper felt his cheeks glow red from how touched he was from Mabel's sincerity, so much so he immediately brought Mabel into a loving, brotherly hug. Mabel was caught off-guard, but it didn't take long for her to return the embrace as well, with a big, content smile on her face. A few quiet seconds ticked by until Dipper spoke again.

"Thanks, Mabel...thanks for saying that…" he whispered. Mabel beamed sweetly.

"Anytime, Dipper…" she murmured, before her voice began to sound a bit guilty, "I'm sorry for teasing you so much about you and Wendy, though...I should have been more considerate…"

Dipper's smile faltered from Mabel's sad tone, but he patted her back in understanding. "It's okay, Mabel. To be fair, I more or less had it coming, you know?"

Mabel didn't seem that convinced, however. "Yeah, but with all that teasing, me being a selfish jerk, the whole mess with Bill Cipher...it's still just another mistakes to add to the list…" she murmured forlornly. Dipper sadly gazed back at Mabel as he squeezed the hug to try and comfort her a bit.

"Mabel, it's okay, really. I know you want to do right from your mistakes, but we couldn't dwell on the bad times now. We should just cherish that we are together again. Bill Cipher's gone and Gravity Falls is safe, that's all that matters now. And please, Mabel, don't say that you are a bad sister, because you're not. I may be upset with your selfishness and hot-headedness, but that doesn't mean I hate you. I _do_ love you, and I do wanna have more adventures with you…" explained Dipper with a genuine caring tone.

Although Mabel certainly did feel touched by Dipper's kindly words, she still had some of her doubts. "Even after I ruined your apprenticeship with Grunkle Ford?" she squeaked out shyly from within the hug. Dipper frowned at the mention of that tidbit, but his frown seemed more sympathetic rather than sad or angry.

"Mabel, you didn't ruin anything…" he reminded softly, "Besides, I was also at fault for not considering your feelings as well. I'm really sorry, Mabel..."

Mabel frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, too, Dipper…"

They kept holding onto their hug for a little while longer until they finally loosened their embrace and looked each other in the eyes.

"I know we kinda screwed each other over that summer, but I think starting now, we should try and put those bad times behind us and that we should focus on being better siblings to each other...that sounds good, Mabel?" offered Dipper timidly. Thankfully, Mabel's smile said it all.

"Sounds good, Dippy!" she smiled. She then glomped Dipper again in another big hug which surprised him enough for the two to stumble back on Dipper's bed. The two chuckled both awkwardly and happily for a bit, without letting go of their sibling hug. Mabel snuggled against Dipper sweetly and gave him a kindly smile.

"I love you, bro-bro…" she murmured softly. Dipper blushed in return and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"I love you, too, sis…" he replied back sincerely.

With both twins feeling quite tired, they both found themselves winding down and getting ready to sleep on Dipper's bed, too exhausted to move. Not that they cared anyways, they were feeling too comfortable to want to escape their embrace and that after that hectic Saturday in September, all the twins wanted to do was just to stay close each other within their loving grasp, without any objections or care.

However, before Dipper could let sleep fully succumb him, he heard Mabel's muffled voice pipe up after a minute of near silence, with the other bit of noise coming from Dipper's softly-playing playlist which he forgot to turn off. He felt Mabel stir a bit in the hug as she began to say one final thing before she fully went to sleep.

"Dipper?"

Dipper opened a sleepy eye. "Hmm?"

"I don't care whether you have a million friends or not, or if people see you as an outcast, I'm just glad you're still at home, bro-bro…" yawned Mabel sleepily as she soon enough fell asleep with a smile. Dipper smiled tiredly and rubbed her back softly, the magnitude of last month's events seemingly tiring him out immediately.

"So am I, Mabel…" he muttered contently, as he too felt himself drift out of consciousness and into a peaceful night's sleep, along with his inseparable twin sister. And as his smart tablet's music playlist began softly playing another song on his bed, Dipper simply relaxed in his spot, too tired to turn off the device as he felt Mabel's loving embrace bring him to peace as he listened in on the faint country / rock song currently playing through his ear buds.

As much as he still missed being in Gravity Falls, right now, he was just glad to still have Mabel by his side, as he uttered one more sentence before he fell asleep with his twin, dreaming of more fun adventures to be had in Gravity Falls with his sister and his friends.

However, just before he closed his eyes, he looked back at the letter taped on the wall close above him and smiled nostalgically, thankful to have such great friends in Oregon...and to have a great sister as well.

"So am I…"

' _I love you in the fall, I'll never forget you…at all..._ '

' _I love you in the fall, I'll never forget you...at all…_ '

' _I wait for always, I love you in the fall, I'll never forget you…_ '

' _The winter's coming on…_ '

' _Seasons change before me, before me there must have been someone else…oh, yeah..._ '

' _I wait for always, I love you in the fall, I'll love you forever…oh..._ '

' _Seasons change before me, after me there'll be someone new…_ '

' _Shadows of the summer time…_ '

' _When the crimson leaves are here, it's only days until autumn's here…_ '

' _Love you forever…oh..._ '

' _I'll love you in the fall, I'll love you forever…oh..._ '

' _I'll love you in the fall, I'll love you forever...oh…_ '

' _I'll love you in the fall, I'll never forget you…_ '

' _I'll never forget you…_ '

' _I'll never forget you…_ '

' _I'll never forget you…_ '

 **THE END**

* * *

 **And just like that, ladies and gents, that's an official wrap on "Saudade"! :D**

 **With this being my longest and most-viewed story yet, it certainly was a challenge to do, considering that with drama not being my specific choice of genre, I still wanted to include a family aspect in the story to not make it so grimdark, you know? But still, like the old adage says, "you never know until you try", although it'll probably be a while until I think of doing another drama-genre story, especially one of this caliber.**

 **Regardless, I want to thank everyone for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing this story, showing nothing but kindness and constructive criticism for how the plot should work or how Dipper and Mabel's relationship should be dealt with. I just hope this story will still be to your likings!**

 **We have one more story to be posted for 2018, so any OK K.O. fans out there'll be happy to know we got one coming for Christmas Eve! Thanks again, everyone, and we'll be back with more sappy and fluffy Wendip in the new year!**

 **~Thunderbyrd**


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